A Place to Call Home
by Naiya12
Summary: SEQUEL TO: Life After Team 7. While revenge will not bring those you've lost back, it will bring about your own sense of justice. But will revenge truly mend the scar placed on Sakura's heart? Will she ever have a place to call home again?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **Upon popular request, I have decided to write a sequel to Life After Team 7. I tried very hard to keep the characters in character as much as possible while at the same time molding them to fit the plot of my story. Sasuke is a very hard character to write! I hope I do not disappoint the fans!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything related to the Naruto series, however I do own the rights and plot to this fanfiction.

****WARNING:**** This chapter will contain graphic content. You have been warned...

* * *

A Place to Call Home

**Chapter 1**

**Sequel to Life After Team 7**

It had been six months since _she _had left. Every ANBU squadron that had been sent out only to return empty handed. There were no clues, no new information, and every location that _she _could possibly be had been found vacant. It was as if she had never existed. All traces of Sakura Haruno were gone and the only things left were the memories of her from those who were privileged enough to know her.

Sasuke had made every attempt possible to convince Tsunade to allow him to search for her, but all were denied claiming that was not a part of his contract. Sasuke grew to loathe the contract he had, in what seemed like another lifetime, loved because it allowed him to be with _her_. The contract that bound him to Konoha as long as the remaining members of Akatsuki breathed.

_"I know I deserve this...I know this is karma's way of getting back at me. I was gone for five years...it has only been six months and it's already unbearable..."_ Sasuke thought, cursing himself for how stupid he had been.

He understood why she had been so desperately searching for him back them. Why she looked so relieved when, after two years, they had finally come across one another at Orochimaru's hideout. He would give anything just to know that she was okay. He understood everything now.

_"She's so much stronger than I imagined...so much stronger...than me."_ Sasuke chuckled to himself, resting his forehead in his palm as he leaned against the balcony door frame of his room.

Looking up at the night sky, he wondered where her strength came from. He had been gone for five years, but when he returned, he actually had to work at having any sort of relationship with her. He was almost halfway expecting the same fan girl he had left unconscious on that cold, hard bench that night to still exist. When he discovered that she hadn't, he didn't care. He was Sasuke Uchiha, he could be with any women he wanted, any women could have been better than _her_. The more he told himself that, the more things he began to unconsciously notice about her. She had grown, but was still a foot shorter than he, her hair had grown out far longer than the first time he had met her, she seemed to be colder than she had been when she worshiped his every move, and she was stronger, much stronger than when he left her. Again, he wondered where it came from.

After finally coming to terms with at least being friends, Sasuke was satisfied. He felt that he had "tamed" her, however he was surprised when being friends only meant that she would actually acknowledge him, respond to his questions or ask him questions pertaining only to mission, and give him a very small, very fake smile when he began prying into her too much. Only Naruto got to see her true smile.

Slamming his fist against the door frame, Sasuke cursed under his breath as he reminisced the relationship Naruto had with _her_. The first time he had actually felt the sting of jealousy was when he encountered them in the marketplace, completely unaware of him, smiling and chatting to each other as they always had, even before he left. However, he now noticed that they aura around them was impenetrable, making even Sasuke Uchiha stop in his tracks, only able to watch them at a distance. How she easily attached herself to his arm. How he patted her head when she became flustered. How her whole body livened when she saw him. Only he was able to bring out the twinkle in her eyes. Sasuke could only assume them to be lovers. That idea was crushed by Hinata, Naruto's _true_ lover, the night that Naruto came to see Sakura after her family's murder.

_"Naruto has always been there for her...even when I left her shattered...he was the one to piece her back together."_ Sasuke thought to himself as he felt bile rise to the back of his throat.

Walking over to his bed, Sasuke collapsed. Placing his arms over his eyes, he felt the cloth dampen on his face, absorbing the silent sorrow that echoed through him.

_"I will never be able to understand how she suffered like this for five years...even making ME work to build any kind of friendship with her, to finally break through her walls and reach her. She should have crumbled when I returned...she should have rushed to me and embraced me...she should have stayed with me forever when I told her that I-_" Sasuke paused, remembering that night he had finally put aside his stubborn pride and indulged himself in her, _"How could she...after feeling like this for five years, after having me return and things starting to go so smoothly, only to have her family be murdered and she leave for revenge."_ Sasuke gritted his teeth, despising such irony.

Feeling even more pitiful than normal, hating the fact that he had actually become weak just because of _her_, Sasuke allowed sleep to overtake him hoping he could survive another day.

* * *

Naruto had also begged to be a part of the search for Sakura, however he was easily denied. Tsunade simply stated that her retrieval mission was under ANBU jurisdiction, and as she so vividly recalled, Naruto had rejected his invitation to ANBU. Naruto had no objection to retort with. He began hating himself for the one chance he could of had to search for _her_, simply because he selfishly worked towards becoming Hokage and feared ANBU would only hinder his dream.

Naruto was by far the closest person to Sakura, thus with her leaving the village, he felt the impact the most. Although he had Hinata to help him through the initial shock, the thought her Sakura alone, battling the Akatsuki was more than enough to keep him from ever sleeping a full night. He had always thought Sakura would stay in Konoha and they would battle Akatsuki together. That she would be able to use the help of her village to finish Akatsuki for her family. He thought that as long as he and Sasuke were there for her, that she would never have a reason to leave.

Naruto knew he shouldn't, but he couldn't help but place part of the blame on Sasuke. Sasuke was the only other person they knew who had suffered the tragedy of losing their entire family in the blink of an eye. While he had his brother to blame and was not the "last' Uchiha alive, for the moment, he continued to make speeches of how he would never rest until his family was avenged with his own strength. That if he were to get any sort of "help" with his revenge, it would be a disgrace to his family. He occasionally threw in the fact that he would forever have to live with what he had witnessed the night of his family's murder and that he would not feel satisfied or be able to live out his life, unless the person responsible died by his own hands. Naruto knew Sasuke was the perfect, and the only role-model for Sakura to look at with her tragedy. While Sasuke may have regrets for his actions, he had still come back to Konoha with his goal achieved, boasting on how his family and he could finally be at peace. Naruto always wondered if he actually felt that was true, if it was an attempt to convince himself that what he had done was justified for the crimes his brother committed against his family, even if it was an order from the Elders.

Growing more frustrated with what he didn't know, what Naruto did know was that he _had_ to be a part of bringing Sakura home.

"I'll join your stupid ANBU damnit! Just let me search for her!" Naruto finally growled at the Hokage sitting in front of him.

Tsunade sat with her elbows on her desk and her fingers interlaced, resting on the bridge of her nose. She was not surprised with Naruto's sudden outburst, as she had grown accustom to them, even if they had become less frequent with his growing maturity.

"Naruto, do you realize that by joining ANBU, you would be placed under the strict regulations of bringing Sakura back no matter the cost...including taking her life if the need be?" Tsunade asked, testing Naruto's resolve.

"I would never let it come to that! I _will_ bring Sakura back..._alive_." Naruto replied, his blue eyes hard with determination.

Sighing, Tsunade placed her hands on her desk and closed her eyes, "While you certainly meet the qualifications of becoming a member of ANBU, I reject your request," Tsunade began.

Immediately, Naruto narrowed his eyes and lowered his gaze to the floor.

"However," Tsunade continued, opening her eyes in time to see Naruto's shoot up from the floor to meet hers, "I will allow you to be on a special ANBU scout team to the Village Hidden in the Clouds in the Land of Lightning. The Raikage has sent me reports of villagers claiming to see a pink haired kunoichi along the outskirts of town. I will be holding a meeting first thing in the morning. You will know who your teammates will be then. Be sure to arrive before sunrise," Tsunade finished in her familiar "Hokage" voice.

"Arigatou, Obaa-chan," Naruto whispered as he left her office.

* * *

Kisame swung his enormous, tightly wrapped sword into the ground, barely missing his target. His skin look slightly lighter due to the anemia setting in. He had a gash through the left side of his torso, seeping with blood at every move he made. His sharp eye-sight becoming more blurred as each second passed. Smaller nicks and cuts, while none life threatening, were beginning to further hinder his lack of blood. Kisame knew that he would not survive this battle. The demon in front of him would not allow it. He had underestimated his opponent and it would indeed account for his death.

"If I'm going to die, I'm taking you with me!" Kisame shouted as the white cloth around his sword began to unravel, revealing to sharp, jagged protrusions that covered the sword.

The figure in front of him made no move. They did not even flinch in acknowledgment of the new threat. The hood covering the ninjas face had kept its place throughout the battle, hiding the opponent's identity. The long robe, attached to that wretched hood, also kept the figures body from sight. Kisame had no idea who this enemy could be, but he quickly ascertained that they wanted him dead as quickly as possible. Their attacks were precise, they countered as soon as he made a move, and their defense was flawless.

Kisame had simply been walking the staggered road up the cliffs to the Village Hidden in the Clouds when this shinobi appeared before him, making the first slice of the many that followed. While he wore his Akatsuki robe, this was the first time that someone had actually stood up to him. Most people would see this robe and immediately rid themselves of his presence. When this shrimp, standing a good foot taller than he, attacked, Kisame simply chuckled, threw the hand signs for his Five Feeding Sharks Technique, and continued on his way assuming that the foe had been vanquished. He realized his error when another bolt of chakra burst through his robe and removed a chunk of skin from his arm.

"You do realize who you are messing with don't you? I have bigger fish to deal with. If you wouldn't mind dying quickly for me, I have an appointment with the Killer Bee." Kisame stated smugly.

The stranger said nothing as they stood across the eroded riverbed that separated them.

Taking note that the thunderstorm they were in was beginning to worsen, Kisame lunged at the mysterious person. Disappearing and reappearing in front of the figure, Kisame thrust his sword forward. He had expected it to make contact with human flesh and rip out the person's intestines as he withdrew his sword, but he was disappointed when he only collided with rock. Feeling his sword take on a new weight, Kisame's eyes immediately darted up, only to see the stranger standing comfortably atop his sword.

Cursing under his breath, he threw his sword upwards, quickly jumping above the opponent, and made another slash. Chuckling, Kisame inspected his blade. At the very instant he had sprang into the air, the stranger acrobatically performed a back-flip, coming face-to-face with his blade. Feeling satisfied as a tiny trickle of blood dotted the ground, Kisame observed the stranger to see what damage he had dealt. His new enthusiasm quickly faded as he watched the figures forearm emerge from the robe to wipe it's cheek.

"You're good, I'll give you that. Not too many would be quick enough to dodge the sharp air that follows the swing of my sword. I'll tell ya...I don't know how many I've mutilated just by the after-swing." Kisame chuckled, placing his hand to his side as a sharp pain surfaced. Blood began to pool around his feet and he knew that he only had a matter of minutes before his life would end.

"Like I said, I have every intention of dragging you to Hell with me. I won't waste any more time playing with you." Kisame finished as he began using hand signs for his Exploding Water Colliding Wave Technique.

While he knew that a mere attack like would be futile against the caliber of opponent he faced, he used it as a simple distraction. Once the wave crashed, Kisame appeared in front of the stranger and thrust his sword upwards. He knew that if the sword did not catch the opponent, the jagged, sharp gust of wind that followed would do more than necessary to finish the job.

Falling to one knee, furiously gripping his side as blood poured from within his body, Kisame mustered enough energy to look on at the supposed corpse in front of him. His eyes bulged from his head as the vision of a beautiful kunoichi stood in front of him. Her pink hair in a high ponytail barely reaching her waist. Her emerald eyes, while at one time had sparkled beautifully, were now dull and lifeless as they glared at his small white ones. Her cheek sported a small graze where he had finally made contact with her, while her left shoulder shown a must deeper wound. Her attire, nothing further from provocative, wearing only a tight tan top, covering on white binding underneath and low cut navy-blue Jounin pants. The pants, obviously as size too big, as they hung loosely around her hips, and baggily around her legs. The knee high black boots hid the rest of the pants. What struck him as odd was the fact that she wore no forehead protector. Even he wore his, while the decorative symbol had been scratched through, it was better than leaving his head exposed.

While he wasn't sure if the fact that she was such an impressive fighter or if it was her sheer beauty, but he couldn't help but be slightly entranced by her. Suddenly it dawned on him, "Sakura...Haruno..."

At the last possible moment, she had somersaulted to the left, her should taking the brunt of the attack. Had it not been for her healing powers, she probably would have had her left arm severed from her body.

"My name may die with me, but you will die by my hand..." Sakura's voice, no longer sweet and delicate, was now raspy and filled with hate.

Walking towards Kisame, Sakura's right hand glowed a bright blue. She was borrowing a move that she had witnessed Kabuto use, the Chakra Scalpel. Kisame knew that she had no intention of healing him. He had witnessed many a medical ninja using their healing jutsu and it had always been that acid green color. This, this bright blue chakra that flowed from her hand, was a jutsu meant for taking lives. He had no strength left, he could only watch as he tried his best to keep his face from expressing the horror he felt inside.

"I may have been the one who killed them...your family...but I am just one man, one part of Akatsuki." Kisame whispered with what last ounce of strength he could gather to speak.

Her remark would fall on deaf ears and Sakura thrust her flattened hand through his face, blood and brain matter exploding behind his now dead body. Satisfied with his death, Sakura waltzed back to her discarded robe and wiped her hand clean.

"It matters not to me...I am going to find all of you and kill you." She stated as she tossed her robe over the body, attempting to save a passerby the scar of witnessing the mutilated body. She knew Zetsu would arrive soon if he hadn't already, to consume Kisame's remains, but she would not battle him here. She needed to regain her strength. His death would come, it would definitely come, but it would be another day.

* * *

Dawn was quickly approaching as Tsunade sat at her desk, awaiting the members she had assembled for her scouting mission. She had been disappointed to learn that Sakura was no longer near the Village Hidden in the Clouds, but she had received reports of Zetsu being near her last location and she could only hope that they would be able to intercept her somewhere in between.

Tsunade's thoughts were broken as Shikimaru entered her office, soon followed by Neji, both wearing their ANBU uniform. The two looked at each other and nodded, before looking towards Tsunade to receive their orders.

"I have two more that I am expecting, we will wait for their arrival before I brief you on your mission." Tsunade stated, answering the silent question.

Not a moment after completing her sentence, Naruto burst through the door in his Jounin attire. Looking over to Shikimaru and Neji, Naruto couldn't help but feel a sense of relief wash over him as his confidence in the mission to come rose.

"Naruto, while you are not a member of ANBU, and this goes against all rules, regulations, and morals that I am responsible for upholding...for the sake of this mission I am allowing you to participate. However, I cannot allow you to bear the ANBU uniform. It would be a disgrace to the Black Ops and the Village Hidden in the Leaves if I were to allow such to occur." Tsunade proclaimed, making sure Naruto was aware of the situation at hand.

"I understand, Obaa-chan. I could never do such a thing. I am only grateful that you have allowed be to go on this mission. I don't ask for anything else but to be a part of Sakura's return," Naruto replied.

"Good, with that aside, we are still waiting for the last member to-" Tsunade began as she was interrupted by the opening of her office door.

"Ah, and here he is, Sasuke Uchiha." Tsunade took note of the smirk crossing the faces of the other three in the room.

Sasuke, wearing his ANBU uniform, stood beside Naruto; never taking his eyes off of the Hokage sitting in front of him.

"Now that we're all here, I will begin briefing you on your mission. Shikimaru will act as captain of the group. Neji, you will use your Byakugan to scout out and pinpoint the location of Sakura within your area, as well as another threats that might arise. Sasuke, you will observe Sakura's movements with your Sharingan, countering any attacks she makes before she makes them. Naruto, I am counting on you to talk some sense into her. We all know that she was closest to you, and Sasuke, however I believe she looks more towards Sasuke as someone who should understand and agree with how she is handling her situation. I believe you are the only one who might have a chance getting through to her," Tsunade started, attempting to smooth over the fact that she trusted Naruto more with negotiating than Sasuke.

"There have been confirmed reports of a battle that took place on the outskirts of the Village Hidden in the Clouds. Apparently the Akatsuki member, Kisame Hoshigaki, and a shady figure covered in a hooded robe had a confrontation where Kisame was rendered...lifeless" Tsunade continued, "According to some reports I have just received, Zetsu has been spotted near the Village Hidden in Sound. We all know this is the village Orochimaru called home, so be ready for anything. Even in his death, I am quite sure he has left some sort of method for ensuring his plans be completed," Tsunade emphasized, taking note of how white Sasuke's knuckles turned at the mention of Orochimaru's name.

"While I am not one hundred percent sure that is was Sakura who killed Kisame, it would be the logical assumption. Also, being that the Village Hidden in Sound is near the Land of Lightning, it would also be logical to assume that if Zetsu is indeed nearby, he would be Sakura's next target. I am sending the four of you out to observe Sakura's movements. If possible you are to intercept her and bring her back, but we cannot take this lightly. Do not treat her as a comrade, but as a highly dangerous rouge ninja. It would be wise to say that she has been holding out on us, due to the fact that this is not the only Akatsuki member she has defeated, the latest being Kisame who was Itachi's partner. There is no way to be sure of exactly how the battle transpired, but the fact that Sakura defeated him is nothing to take lightly. I am questioning whether she is had received some sort of "outside training" or not. While Sakura has always been a genius when it came to controlling chakra, she was never one to enjoy battle. To be able to defeat Kisame...someone has to have given her some sort of instruction..." Tsunade stated more to herself than the group.

Clearing her throat and breaking away from her thoughts, "You are to return to your homes, rest, and pack for your mission. You will leave at dusk. Dismissed." Tsunade finished, eying the group for any questions.

With their meeting complete, the four went their separate ways in order to prepare for the mission to come, the mission to bring back Sakura Haruno.

* * *

Sakura had slowly made her descent down the steep mountain range that was the Land of Lightning. Her muscles ached from the fierce battle she had the previous day. From the information she had been able to gather from passing strangers, a strange figure in a black coat had been seen in the Village of the Sound. While Akatsuki had always been good about keeping their presence hidden, with only a few surviving members, they were required to venture out amongst people. These actions, Sakura could only guess, was either scoping out the area, looking for new recruits, or some hidden motive that she had yet to discover.

As Sakura pondered over what Akatsuki's new plans could be, she limped over to a nearby tree and leaned on the trunk. Making sure her hood was securely in place, she closed her eyes beneath in an attempt to relax. Hearing a tree branch crack beneath an unknown intruder's foot, she immediately tensed once more, only to release her tension when she recognized the voice.

"Ah, I see you were successful."

Sakura made no reply.

"It seems you have gained the attention of your former allies as well..."

Sakura balled her fists in agitation.

"I wonder what they are planning...search and rescue...bring the damsel in distress back home...convince you to team up so they can protect you...they still see you as the beautiful, weak-"

Fed up with the stranger's ramblings, in the blink of an eye, Sakura had the intruders body pinned against the back of the tree where she had once stood, one hand fiercely gripping his neck. Lifting her head only enough to allow the light to show across her eyes, she felt the body beneath her tense at the intensity of her glare.

"Not another word...Kabuto" She whispered, however the command in her voice was enough to silence the person in front of her.

Once she had assessed that he would ramble no more, she released him and adjusted her hood.

"You definitely aren't the sweet, fearing girl I met back then..." Kabuto said more to himself as he rubbed his neck.

While half of Kabuto remained the same, Sakura could see that he was slowly losing the battle within his body. The remains of Orochimaru that he integrated into his body were becoming more dominant each time she saw him.

"Get to the point..." Sakura stated bluntly.

"I simply came to congratulate you. As expected you help up your end of the bargain," Kabuto smirked.

Sakura crossed her arms, leaning against the tree cattycorner to where Kabuto stood, but made no move to reply.

"While sparing with you for those wonderful two and a half months was exhilarating, actually seeing the results of you being able to kill Kisame is even more exciting," Kabuto continued, "Now that Akatsuki only has two official members, there is no way they will be able to refuse my request for joining them."

Again Sakura stayed silent.

"Curious as to why I want to join Akatsuki so badly, aren't you?" Kabuto said as he slowly approached Sakura.

Placing one palm against the tree, Kabuto leaned down to see Sakura's face. Using his free hand, he tilted her chin up, causing her hood to fall behind her and exposing the soft, ivory skin beneath. The long, soft curls of her hair, loose from the previous battle, spilled out from its once captive position. Her skin, cheeks smeared with dirt and the light pink scar that was slowly fading, glowed in the sun. Her plump, pink lips no longer carried the enormous smile they once had, instead they stayed softly pressed together showing neither smile nor frown. However beautiful she looked, her eyes told a completely different story. On the first occasion that he met Sakura, her lively emerald eyes could light up even the darkest room. When he looked into them now, there was nothing but hate, rage, and loneliness. They no longer shined, they were now dull, and the only flicker of emotion he could get from them was when she gave him her icy glare that would have anyone running from her.

Hoping for some sort of reaction, Kabuto leaned closer in a whispered, "Would you like me to tell you why I intend to join Akatsuki...Sakura?"

Kabuto's gleaming face immediately fell to disappointment as he felt Sakura's soft, slender fingers envelop his wrist, followed immediately by the excruciating pain caused by them.

Sakura's hand glowed blue as she removed Kabuto's hand from her chin. Instead of distancing herself from him, she closed the gap even more. A few inches was all that kept her lips from touching his.

"You know if you join Akatsuki...I _will_ kill you," Sakura finally spoke, giving Kabuto the icy glare he had been searching for.

Leaning away, Sakura released his wrist and replaced her hood as she began to walk back towards the rocky road that would take her to her next destination. Stopping, she felt she needed to clarify Kabuto's previous statement.

"I did seek you out and ask to spare with you. I did this only because I knew you would kill me if you could, as I would I if the chance arose to kill you. I sought you out because you witnessed and spared with Sasuke and he became so much stronger. You have also battled with Kakashi, Naruto, Tsunade, and Akatsuki members and always managed to survive. I have passed the point of needing to be taught _how _to fight, I only needed to fight to become stronger. I have always been a quick learner, thus I only needed to spare with you daily for that two and a half months." Sakura said as she turned to face him, "Because your wish for Kisame to be removed was mine as well, I felt that I was in a win-win situation. Now that the deed is done, we have no further business with each other. The next time I see you Kabuto, I will not hesitate to kill you." Finished with their conversation, Sakura quickly disappeared into the trees above as she continued on her way.

"If you only knew just how much you have sealed your own fate..." Kabuto whispered, healing his arm.

* * *

**A/N: **So here is the first chapter of Life After Team 7's sequel! I tried to make the time frame as believable as possible, I didn't want her gone _too_ long and I didn't want it to only have been a couple of months.

Also I'm trying to really get across just how deeply scarred and withdrawn Sakura has become. I'm not trying to make her a "female Sasuke" (even if he is the only role-model I have for this kind of attitude). I'm trying to imagine how I would be if something like this (GOD FORBID!) had happened to me and if I didn't do something, the criminals would go Scott free.

Keeping characters "in character" while trying to mold them to your own story is very difficult! Let me know if I did a good job. I revised and edited this chapter so many time just because I was afraid the character would come across wrong...*sigh* Maybe one to two more chapters. I plan to have the story finished by this coming Friday (Aug. 14th, 2009).

REVIEWS MAKE ME WRITE! : ^D


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **Upon popular request, I have decided to write a sequel to Life After Team 7. I tried very hard to keep the characters in character as much as possible while at the same time molding them to fit the plot of my story. Sasuke is a very hard character to write! I hope I do not disappoint the fans!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything related to the Naruto series, however I do own the rights and plot to this fanfiction.

****WARNING:**** This chapter will contain graphic content. You have been warned...

* * *

A Place to Call Home

**Chapter 2**

**Sequel to Life After Team 7**

The moon shone brightly above as four men reached their destination between the Lands of Sound and Lightning. Shikimaru removed his ANBU mask, as Neji and Sasuke followed suit, and turned to face the three men behind him.

Shikimaru, the active captain of their current mission, scratched the back of his head as his eyes roamed their surroundings. Closing his eyes and mumbling about how troublesome one girl could be, he laid out his plan, "The four of us are going to create a three sided parameter, with Naruto as the center. Neji, you will be the point further north of here, as it is suspected as the direction Sakura will be coming from. Sasuke and I will create the back points as there isn't much we can do until Sakura is located. Naruto, you need to be the most flexible, able to arrive at any point of the parameter within seconds of Sakura's arrival. Sasuke, you take the east point and I'll take the west," Shikimaru ordered, "Everyone's radio working?"

The four adjusted their ear pieces and pressed the button of the radio strapped to their necks to test for feedback. Everyone satisfied with their frequency nodded, "Alright then, stay off the radio unless it's an emergency and keep fluctuating your chakra until everyone is in position. Once I give the okay, we'll hide out chakra and wait for Sakura to make her entrance," Shikimaru finished.

Giving a nod, everyone disappeared into the trees. Once in position, Shikimaru gave the order and the forest fell silent, devoid any presence of life.

* * *

It was well after two in the morning as Sasuke perched on a high tree branch, watching and waiting for any sign of human activity.

The past few hours had been excruciatingly painful. His eyes scanned and his body twitched at every rustle of leaves, breaking of twigs, and gust of wind. His body ached to relax, to move from the position that he forced himself to stay in, but he knew it was necessary.

His life had become a nightmare, a never ending nightmare in which he pleaded with himself to wake up from. It started when Orochimaru had bestowed that horrible, wonderful curse mark upon him during the Chunin Exams. That mark was what initially drove the wedge between he and Sakura.

_"No...that's not right. I drove the wedge...the curse mark was just the hammer."_

He was so consumed with gaining revenge, not even truly understanding the situation at hand that he made himself the cold, stoic figure he needed to be. In order to drive away those who could interfere with his revenge, make him weak, or that proved to be no benefit to reaching his goal, he acted as an emotionless machine. He was especially cold to those who did interfere, that he did hold feelings for, and that curse mark was all the excuse he needed to leave Konoha.

Then meeting Sakura and Naruto, two years after he left, only reinforced the idea that what he had done was best for his revenge. He was able to stand above them, look down upon them, snub them as if they didn't have the right to look up at him. Those two years away gave him the edge he needed to _pretend_ they meant nothing to him. That they were a mere stepping stone to his ultimate goal, which also applied to Orochimaru. Once Sasuke had learned all that was necessary, his newly trained attitude towards human life made it easy to slay the ex-Akatsuki member in front of him.

Feeling a new sense of confidence, of accomplishment, Sasuke gathered a few of Orochimaru's test subjects and created team Hebi. With Hebi, Sasuke was finally able to fulfill his lifelong goal, to kill Itachi and take revenge upon his family. However, this lifelong process only backfired when Sasuke had learned the truth behind Itachi's actions that fateful. How it was the Elder Council who forced the mission upon Itachi once they learned of the Uchiha rebellion that would soon take place. How Itachi had to beg and make an agreement to be the horrible murderer they needed in order for his dear brother, Sasuke to survive. How everything he had done in his life thus far had been a complete and total waste.

_"Fate plays cruel tricks on people's lives...I certainly fell for it. I wasted any good chance I had at _living _life to seek out an unfounded revenge."_

Disgusted with himself, Sasuke let his thoughts drift to the day he decided to turn things around. With quite a lot of effort and convincing, Sasuke disband Hebi in order to return to Konoha and ensure the Elder's faced their crimes. He was able to easily infiltrate the village, but reaching the Hokage was another story. ANBU and jounin level shinobi swarmed the building the moment he set foot inside. He had to assume that they knew the moment he arrived in the village, but waited until he revealed his plans before they countered him. However, luck was on his side that day as Kakashi stepped from the group and after much deliberation, agree to personally take him to Tsunade.

Once Tsunade had learned the truth, she struck a deal with him that he couldn't refuse. A week later, after being thoroughly interrogated and agreeing to Tsunade's contract, Sasuke's return was released to the public while he started his crash course training for ANBU. It wasn't so much learning what to do in different situations, for that is what the experience of becoming chunin and jonin were supposed to supply, but more in the rules and regulations of the ANBU. Typically, depending on the shinobi, this course could last up to two years, a year at the minimum, but Tsunade was confident that Sasuke could grasp the major concepts training ten hours a day, _every _day, for three months.

After spending three weeks in Konoha, Naruto and most of the others Sasuke had grown up with had accepted him, however there were a few who did not. It wasn't that Sasuke cared whether they accepted him, it just made life easier to live in the village that initially started it all. When word got out, mainly due to Naruto and Ino's excessive rambling, of what the Elder's did to Sasuke, his issues with acceptance vanished with all except one medical ninja.

_"She was the last person in the world that I thought would hold a grudge against me..."_

When Sasuke made eye contact with Sakura, she looked right through him. When she passed him on the streets, her eyes never faltered from in front of her. When Tsunade brought her in to treat the wounded ANBU candidates, she would smile and converse with other members, but when it came time to check-out Sasuke she never spoke a word. He, of course, minded none of this. He was glad to see that the fan girls he left behind had grown up. He could actually walk down the street in peace. He never had to hear that annoying "Sasuke-kun" from her again. However after three months, fate played a cruel trick upon him once again. Her partner had been "coincidentally" reassigned and Tsunade "conveniently" appointed Sasuke as her partner's replacement.

_"What was I thinking...she would jump for joy? She would fling her arms around my neck and squeal with excitement? Idiot..."_

It took him a good month and a half to even get her to warm up to him. He had become obsessed with her, making his new "goal" in life to get her to acknowledge _him_. He followed her around, forced himself to ask the "How are you?" ; "Are you okay?" ; "Why this or that?". She had even gone as far as to call _him _the annoying one, but she wasn't like he was. She was loving and caring towards others. He could feel her warmth, but never directly. He could see her smile, that true beautiful smile that used to be his, but she never showed it to him anymore...

Gritting his jaw, he was becoming more and more enraged with himself. He had every opportunity to take her and make her his when he was younger. True they were only thirteen when he left, but the both of them knew it was real, that they would last. However, _revenge_ was always more important than her. She had stood by him through everything..._everything_...even willing to betray the village to come with him, but he always turned away from her. And then, when he finally had her, when she was finally his...she turned away from him.

Gripping the tree branch beneath him so hard, his fingertips slowly caved into the bark. Being ripped from his thoughts, he heard Neji's voice come across the radio.

"We have trouble. Sasuke, Zetsu has just appeared within your area. He is unaware of our presence so no one try anything stupid. If Tsunade-sama was correct, Sakura should be arriving soon..." Neji spoke as softly as possible.

Nobody replied. They all understood what needed to be done, no one needed to say it aloud.

Sasuke activated his Sharingan. While he knew that he was the least likely person of the group to be found by Zetsu, it wasn't Zetsu his eyes sought out. While he sat in a forest, Sasuke was close enough to the edge that the larger trees were sparse, making it easier for his eyes to scan the area. Suddenly, out from the ground, Zetsu arose. Within seconds, a kunai was thrown in front of him. Sasuke could not see where the kunai had come from, but his eyes traced for the movements of an oncoming intruder. His eyes, trained for nothing to escape, was in awe at the speed of the hooded figure. It was hard from him to keep up with them, as they leaped from tree to tree, until they slowed her pace.

The two stood approximately ten yards ahead of him. He closed his eyes, losing his sight, only to strengthen his hearing. When he finally reached their voices, he froze, using every ounce of concentration he could muster to hold their conversation.

* * *

Sakura threw a kunai as soon as Zetsu rose from the ground from her perch in a tree, roughly fifty yards away. Once she had his attention, she zig-zagged from tree to tree, not wanting to leave herself open to a head on attack. As she approached him, she realized he had no intention of fighting her, she slowed her pace. Standing a few feet in front of him, hood still in place, she waited from Zetsu to speak.

She was vaguely aware of other chakra within the forest, only because of Kabuto's warning. Had she gone in blind, she might have been caught off guard with how well their chakra was concealed. She could only guess, if it was the leaf village, that there would be a least three, five of them at the maximum. She could also conclude that they would be ANBU level, possibly a few of them jonin, it all depended on how back the village wanted her back. Breaking away from her thoughts, she listened as Zetsu's venomous voice addressed her.

"A little late for a child to be out in the forest?" his voice holding no enthusiasm.

Sakura was somewhat relieved. She was smaller than most her age, making it easy to be misconceived and underestimated. She also knew that either Zetsu was playing dumb, or really had no idea it was her.

_"How could he not? It is his job in Akatsuki to retrieve the body and ring of a fallen member. I have to stay on my toes...he has to know it's me..."_

Sakura made no reply, keeping her face concealed within her hood, and making sure her robe kept of tiny figure hidden beneath it.

"Not the talkative one, eh? I have no intention of killing those who are not qualified to stand before me. Get out of here before I change my mind..." Zetsu finished as his black and white skin shown through the shadows of the forest.

Sakura did not move. She did not speak. She only stood there waiting for her opening.

"Not listening is he?" Zetsu said talking to himself, "No, it appears not." He replied.

"If you insist, but I cannot be held responsible for your death. I did gave you the opportunity to run," Zetsu said, speaking to Sakura.

Sakura bent her knees to position herself in a fighting stance, kunai in both hands, waiting for whatever Zetsu had up his sleeve.

Zetsu suddenly dove into the ground. Cursing under her breath, Sakura closed her eyes, trying to heighten her other senses to find the invisible opponent. When Zetsu disappeared, so did any trace of his chakra, making it impossible to pinpoint his position.

_"Damnit...I can't find him anywhere...this is not good. Calm down...breath..."_ Sakura thought, trying to feel where Zetsu had disappeared.

Suddenly feeling a tinge behind her, Sakura dropped to the floor, using the moment to attempt and kick Zetsu's feet from underneath. This maneuver proved futile as Sakura had to quickly her substitution jutsu to avoid Zetsu's katana.

"Come out, come out, where ever you are," Zetsu taunted as he tucked his katana and arms back inside the plant exterior.

Using the opportunity to her advantage, Sakura gathered chakra in her right fist, still holding her kunai tightly, and leaped above Zetsu hoping to collide her fist with his skull. What she didn't expect is that Zetsu noticed her above him as he split his body into two, completely avoiding her attack as the ground crumbled beneath her fist.

The right side of Zetsu quickly lunged at Sakura with his katana, but Sakura was able to easily block the attack using both her kunai. What Sakura didn't expect what the left side of Zetsu performing the same attack. With the right side of Zetsu bearing down on her, Sakura couldn't afford to remove one of her arms and give him any slack. Instead she closed her eyes, waiting for the pain from her left side as the katana to pierce her skin.

* * *

Sasuke could bear to watch the fight no longer. He knew that the stranger in front of him only had a few more second to live. He couldn't get involved, he had to wait for Sakura. She was his main priority. While the person in front of him had precise control over their chakra, their movement, the way they fought, it was all foreign to his eyes.

"I know we have an obligation to protect people, but we can't jeopardize the chance of Sakura rushing in and attacking Zetsu. You said it yourself, this person's identity is hidden from us due to their clothing, yes, but their movements and the way they are fighting is not characteristic of Sakura. Anyone can gain control over their chakra with enough practice. If not for the importance of this mission, any one of us would be down there right now..." Shikimaru tried to console his team.

Sasuke watched as the katana sliced through the abdomen of the robed person. When Zetsu pulled his weapon from the person's body, Sasuke was surprised to see the person still able to hold off Zetsu's other half. However if not for his Sharingan, he might have missed what happened next. The right half of Zetsu suddenly went flying through the air, a generous sized hole through is lower half from the amount of force placed upon it.

The stranger had intentionally let the left half of Zetsu land the attack. Once he let his guard down, the stranger gathered chakra in their fists, breaking through the right half's attack and landing a fatal blow to his abdomen. The person slowly rose from the ground, holding their stomach tightly as Zetsu's left half immediately retreated to his right. The two molded together once again, making the wound appear less fatal.

"You bastard!" Zetsu yelled as he threw his katana at the figure in front of him in one last attempt to finish the job.

The robed stranger, obviously in quite a bit of pain and their movement hindered by the fresh wound, did the only thing they could. With lightning speed, the stranger had removed one arm from their coat, thrusting the material over their head, and wrapping it around the incoming katana in the hopes of it catching the katana and deterring its course.

"SASUKE!" Neji immediately yelled over the radio.

"I know, I KNOW! Shit!" Sasuke replied.

"What the hell is going on?" Shikimaru asked completely confused at the ongoing conversation.

"It's Sakura! That person in the robe, the entire time...it was Sakura!" Neji retorted as he tried to make sense of what he had been witnessing through his Byakugan.

"Teme...Sasuke I'm coming your way!" Naruto yelled through his radio.

"Hn.." Sasuke replied as his eyes focused on the kunoichi in front of him.

Sasuke couldn't believe that Sakura was the one fighting the battle he had just witnessed. He had been mentally praising the "stranger" for how flexible, yet precise, their movements were, how they were expecting every attack that could possibly be made by Zetsu, and how strong they seemed to be from just the little show he had seen. He couldn't believe that Sakura was actually capable of such abilities.

She looked just as beautiful as the last night they shared before her disappearance. Her hair, while tousled due to the previous battle, was just as beautiful as before. While he had to adjust at the new amount of skin she was showing, wearing the same tight fitted tank top and loose, hip hugging jonin pants she had worn during the battle with Kisame, but what struck Sasuke the most was her eyes. Her once beautiful eyes, seemed dull and lifeless.

Sasuke could have stared at her for an eternity and not have been satisfied, however when Sakura began to move, he knew that he had only one chance to stop her.

* * *

Examining her would, Sakura was surprised at how much more damage had been done than she initially expected.

_"Damn...I've got barely enough chakra to heal it. I'll be completed depleted after this..."_ She thought, cursing at herself for not giving her body enough time to recuperate between battles.

Healing the wound as best as possible, Sakura glanced at her tattered robe.

_"Not even enough of it left to be worth carrying..."_ She debated, finally settling on leaving the robe behind. Instead she moved to untie her hair, letting the long strands cover most of her wounds as to not attract attention.

Using her right arm, as her left shoulder had yet to completely heal from her battle with Kisame, Sakura placed her hand against a tree trunk to support most of her weight as she began leaving the forest. Taking another step, Sakura froze at the rustle of leaves behind her. She knew that Zetsu had retreated, while his wound not fatal, it was enough to cause him the need to recuperate before meeting her again. Thus, she knew it could only mean one other alternative.

Sakura turn to face the ANBU member behind her. If not for the blood splattered in various places along her body, the way her soft curls blew in the wind, draping across her shoulders and reaching well past her waist, would make her appear to be some Godly creature. She knew that her looks and witty charm would not get her out of this one. While it had helped distract the normal passerby when they saw her in such poor shape, she knew that an ANBU member could not be tricked by any stunt she pulled. With her chakra nearly depleted, her body tired and sore from the two battles with Akatsuki members, she knew she was in trouble.

Neither of them spoke, they simply eyed one another suspiciously. Sakura did not dare to let them know how agitated she was inside. She held herself as if the battle before had not even made a dent in her stamina. Had it not been for the battle with Kisame this battle wouldn't have been any sort of issue, however with only having half her chakra restored before barreling into another battle, she would have nothing to worry about. Being so close to fulfilling her goal, Sakura couldn't afford to let herself be captured.

The ANBU member took a step closer to Sakura, causing her to automatically remove a kunai from her belt. Seeing the kunai drawn the ANBU member stopped suddenly. Raising their hands, showing her their palms, they lifted them to their mask and slowly removed it.

Sakura didn't flinch as her emerald eyes clashed with the blood red ones staring at her. Her heart did not skip a beat, she did not catch her breath, she was passed all that. To her, it didn't matter who stood in front of her, she would let no one interfere with her goal; or so she thought.

"Sakura..." Sasuke's velvet voice allowed her name to roll gently from his tongue.

He waited to hear her heavenly voice, only to be disappointed when her only reaction was the narrowing of her eyes.

"Sakura...you know why I'm here," Sasuke continued, "You know exactly what is going to happen next. Not but a little over a year ago, our places were reversed..."

Sakura only took a defiant step backwards.

Sighing, Sasuke returned the gesture by taking two steps towards her, greatly closing the distance between them.

"You know that I am not alone. There is no point in resisting. You're wounded, your almost out of chakra, and you cannot hope to defeat me." Sasuke stated cockily, his Uchiha pride rearing its head.

Sasuke smirked as he saw Sakura's hand tighten on her kunai, however the smirk quickly disappeared when the kunai came flying towards him. In a flash, Sasuke dodged the kunai and had both of Sakura's wrists in his hands, pinning her to a nearby tree.

"Don't do this..." Sasuke whispered.

Sakura only pursed her lips and furrowed her eyebrows in irritation.

"Talk to me damnit!" Sasuke yelled, returning the look with his own annoyance.

They stood there, bodies against each other, for what seemed like an eternity. Sakura could bear the constriction no longer. Mustering all the strength she could, she pulled her arms to her chest and quickly thrust her fists at Sasuke.

Releasing her hands, Sasuke retreated a few steps to avoid the blunt force.

As Sakura began to make her escape, she froze in place at the sound of a familiar voice.

"SAKURA-CHAN!" Naruto screamed as he braced his hands against his knees, gasping for air.

Quickly recovering, Naruto rose and stared Sakura straight in the eyes, "Sakura-chan, stop it."

Sakura visibly grimaced at Naruto's words, infuriating Sasuke at how easily Naruto could affect her.

"Naru...to..." Sakura whispered.

Walking to Sakura, not caring at how dangerous she was supposed to be, Naruto quickly closed the distance between then.

Clearing her head, Sakura strengthened her voice, "Naruto!"

At the change of tone in her voice, Naruto stopped.

"I have too much left undone to go back now," Sakura doing all she could to make herself glare at him, "If you take another step towards me, I will be forced to fight you. I will not let anyone interfere with my gaining revenge."

Sasuke couldn't help but feel disgusted at her last sentence. He had said the same thing five years ago, when all he cared about was taking his revenge.

"Sakura-chan...please don't do this," Naruto pleaded.

Sakura noticed two more figures quickly approaching them as she grabbed a kunai from her belt with an exploding tag attached to it. Throwing it in between Sasuke and Naruto, she quickly leaped in the air before it's explosion.

Sasuke and Naruto both dove away from the explosion, with Sasuke suffering only minor injuries. Naruto, not being as quick to dodge the blast, had suffered a second-degree burn on his right leg.

"Are you guys alright?" Shikimaru asked as he finally reached the two.

"I'm fine, just a little burn, it should heal pretty quickly," Naruto stated and he propped himself up on the palm of his hands.

"She's getting away," Neji stated activating his Byakugan.

"Shikimaru, report in to the Hokage and explain the situation. Neji you stay here with Naruto until his wound is healed, then follow me. I'm going to stop Sakura," Sasuke said she he rose from Naruto's side.

"Teme...Shikimaru's the captain! I'm fine, I'll come too," Naruto stated, climbing to his feet.

"No, Naruto, Sasuke's right...so troublesome...okay. Neji, you keep an eye on Sakura and keep Sasuke informed on the radio. Once Naruto's legs are healed then the two of you catch up to him. I'll send Tsunade a quick report and catch up with Sasuke. That should hopefully give you enough time to heal your wounds," Shikimaru stated closing his eyes in irritation, "Sasuke, you are only to follow Sakura and find out where she's hiding. Wait for us before you infiltrate her hideout. While she appears to be alone, we aren't positive of that factor. If Sakura's as strong as Neji believes, Sasuke is probably in the best position to deal with her. Those two share a bond that the three of us cannot understand..." Shikimaru finished, rationalizing the situation as best as possible.

"Then Neji go with Sasuke! I'll be fine by myself," Naruto insisted.

"Dobe, if Neji goes with me, how are you two supposed to find us? We can't depend on the radios because we don't know how far she plans to travel or if there will be some sort of interference," Sasuke stated smugly.

"Fine, but you had better wait for us!" Naruto growled.

"Hn," was all Sasuke replied with as he quickly followed Sakura's trail.

* * *

The morning hours were upon her as she reached the her encampment in the Land of Lightning. She was lucky enough to find a nice sized cave on the back side of the mountain range, along a path less traveled. The cave was nothing special. It hadn't any tunnels connecting it to various caves throughout the mountain, it was simply deep enough for her to stay hidden from the eyes of the rare passerby, and the small pool of water that trickled in from the ever constant storms allowed her only enough to scoop with her hands.

As Sakura reached her futon, she wanted nothing more than to allow sleep to take her. Her body was worn from battle and she desperately needed the rest to recuperate. Unfastening and dropping her belt beside her futon, Sakura waltz to the stream of water at the back of the cave. Reaching down and scooping up some water in her petite hands, she stopped midway to washing her face.

Sighing, Sakura repeated the action, washing clean her ivory skin. She then stood, turning to face the brave soul who intruded her "residence."

"Nice place you've got here..." Kabuto smiled with a toothy grin.

"What do you want Kabuto?" Sakura asked, irritation evident in her voice.

"Can't I visit a dear friend when she's a little worse for wear?" Kabuto replied, slowly making his way to where Sakura stood.

"Leave..." Sakura retorted as she glared at Kabuto's advance.

"I do not believe you are in any position to give commands," Kabuto raised his hand to Sakura's arm, gripping it tightly, forcing her against the hard rock wall.

Sakura quickly used her free hand, punching Kabuto across the face. Watching Kabuto retreat a few steps from her, cradling his cheek as blood began pooling from the corner of his mouth, she walked to her backpack as if nothing had just transpired between them.

"I see you've still got your spirit, even if you're on the brink of collapsing," Kabuto smirked, rubbing his swollen jaw.

"I won't repeat my-" Sakura stopped mid-sentence as her eyes darted to the entrance of the cave.

"That would be my cue," Kabuto stated as he quickly disappeared.

_"All I want to do is sleep..."_ Sakura mentally sighed to herself as she rummaged through her backpack for a fresh set of clothes and binding.

Quickly stripping her attire, Sakura rebound her chest and slid on a fresh pair of jonin issued, navy blue pants. Turning her back to the entrance of the cave, she felt a slight breeze hit her back as she began slipping into a clean, tight tank top she had grown fond of.

_"This has turned into one hell of a day..._" Sakura stated as she readied herself for what was to come.

* * *

Sasuke easily followed the trail of blood Sakura had left as she escaped from him earlier. Reaching a small community of caves, Sasuke caught a flash of something white leaving one of the caves further down. Assuming it to be the one Sakura was hiding in, Sasuke sped towards it. He arrived just in time to see Sakura tying the waistband of the loose jonin pants she was wearing. The sight of scars along her beautiful torso angered Sasuke as he waited for her to finish dressing.

Eying her cautiously, Sasuke knew that she was aware of his presence. When she turned to face him, he silently approached her. Standing in front of her, only inches between them, Sasuke cupped her cheek in his hand.

"Why won't you let me help you?" He asked, stroking the remnants of the scar on her cheek.

He watched her, waiting for an answer, as he saw the confusion in her eyes.

"I've missed you..." He continued, using his free hand to carefully pull her petite frame closer to his, enveloping her in a hug.

His hand moved from her cheek to behind her head, crushing her in his arms. He mentally begged her to return the embrace, but after a few moments passed and he had not felt her arms wind around him, he pulled back to look into her eyes. He could tell she was battling within herself. He understood all too well the feelings she was fighting. Wanting to smother him in her arms, yet afraid that by doing so, it would diminish her resolve. Wanting so much to indulge herself in him, but knowing it would only hurt the both of them worse in the end, because she would inevitably have to leave and fulfill her revenge. He knew exactly what she felt, angering him more each passing second.

"Please-" Sasuke began, only to be cut off by Sakura placing a slender finger over his lips.

"Don't..." She whispered.

It was the first time she had spoken to him in six months, but that one word melted his heart. Even if it wasn't the meant in any loving manner, the fact that she acknowledged him was enough to send him over the edge.

Backing out of his embrace, Sakura awkwardly held her abdomen with her right hand, keeping him from being able to see the extent of the damage. He knew she was hurt, that she hadn't enough chakra to fully heal her wound. He also knew that it would only hurt her worse if he acted towards he as if she was weak. He was never good with expressing himself in words, especially with her, but she had to know that he cared for her. He had already told her, but he felt that after six months of separation, she had forgotten his confession. Furrowing his eyebrows in both worry and agitation he wracked his brain for the right thing to say.

"How bad is it?" He decided the objective route would be best.

Sakura glared at Sasuke, but deciding it wasn't worth the battle, she sighed a slowly removed her hand.

"I'll live," she said as she watch Sasuke attempt to hide the rage filling his eyes.

She had always known what emotion he felt simply by looking into his onyx orbs. While his face and posture always appeared stoic, his eyes were indeed to window to his soul. He rarely showed any sort of emotion, unless in battle, but she understood the reason now. Showing emotions made you an open book. It made it easy for people to know how you felt at each given moment. Showing emotions made it impossible to keep your thoughts secret. In the past six months, she had worked on being more aloof, making it easier to deter people from approaching her. She no longer wanted to be the caring, sweet, enthusiastic girl she had been. She wanted to be strong, she wanted to be able to crush her enemy by her own strength, and in order to do so she needed to be both physically and mentally prepared.

Turning from him, not wanting to give him the opportunity to take a jab at the walls she had around her, Sakura sat on her futon and leaned her back against the hard wall. Sasuke followed close behind, sitting across from her in the same position. She sat on the ground, arms crossed, staring at the entrance of the cave as if she expected someone else to intrude. Sasuke's eyes never left her. He stared, taking in every minor detail of her that had changed. He noticed her hair was much longer, she had fresh and old scars, while none too obvious, they were there. Scars meant she had been wounded, meaning she had been fighting, alone, against someone who was willing to kill her. His knuckles whitened as he dissolved the rocks he held in his hand, the sand slowly seeping through his fingers.

"They'll disappear eventually," she stated, not averting her eyes from the entrance.

"Hn..." was all he could think to reply with.

A small smile grazed her lips, "I won't go back..." the smile quickly fading.

"I know," he replied.

"Two of them are still alive," she stated matter-of-factly.

"Kisame?" he asked, referring to the death of the large, shark-like man.

Sakura simply nodded in response.

Feeling confident in their conversation, Sasuke wasn't sure whether to ask his next question, but his curiosity won him over.

"Why was Kabuto here?" he pried, hoping she would answer.

She removed her eyes from the entrance of the cave, to stare into his.

"That is my business," She stated.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, irritated at the fact that she would have the gall to throw a statement he had used to hurt her all those years ago. While the manner in which he had said it to her back then was done purposely, to protect her from matters she didn't need to worry about, hearing it come from her made him angry.

"Sakura..." he gritted his teeth, "_Why _was Kabuto _here_..."

Blinking a few times, Sakura managed to keep her facial features calm, while inside she was couldn't help feeling a bit shaken. She never knew how to act when Sasuke was angry with her, but she was no longer the twelve year old girl he used to be able to intimidate. Her matters were personal and she didn't want him involved. Just like how he had kept her on the outside of his "circle" six years ago, she had no intention of letting him into hers.

"Sasuke...if you have no other business here than to ask me questions, I would appreciate it if you took your leave," Sakura said firmly.

Sasuke, keeping his face as calm as possible, was passed the point of anger. He quickly stood, reaching down to her and grabbing one of her wrists, and pulled her up to him.

"I want to know why _Kabuto_ was here and you are going to tell me!" He said, his voice ascending with each spoken word.

Sakura sighed, and just as she had done with Kabuto earlier, she reared back and thrust her fist towards Sasuke's face. However she was caught off-guard when her hand was caught with his.

_"Damn Sharingan..."_ She mentally cursed.

Sakura was not stupid, she knew that he could easily take her with the condition she was in. She had only a fragment of chakra left, her body was exhausted, and she was too tired to fight with him.

"Fine," She finally said, admitting defeat.

Sasuke released her, allowing her to return to her seat on the floor. Rather than moving back to the other wall, Sasuke was satisfied with sitting criss-cross in front of her.

"When I left Konoha, I sought out Kabuto," Sakura began, keeping her gaze distant from his intense stare, "He had already merged most of Orochimaru's body with his own, making him much stronger than when I had previously met him. We shared common interests, we both wanted Kisame dead. He agreed to spare with me, given that I remove Kisame from Akatsuki. I then informed him that I would kill Kisame, but that I would also kill the rest of Akatsuki for what they had done to me. He laughed at me. We battled each other every day for two and a half months. I became faster, more aware, and overall stronger. Once I was ready for Kisame, Kabuto informed me that with Kisame gone, there would be no way Madara would refuse his request to join them. It was my turn to laugh...I told him if he joined Akatsuki, I would definitely kill him." Sakura finished, feeling angry at herself for letting Sasuke know any of what was going on with her.

Even under her extenuating circumstances, Sasuke was still irritated by the fact that she left in search of another man.

"I trained under Orochimaru," Sasuke said quietly.

Sakura raised an eyebrow in slight confusion at the simple statement.

"I trained under Orochimaru. Why did you have to go out in search of Kabuto? Why couldn't I help you?" Sasuke clarified, his voice ascending at each statement.

Sakura had a perfectly good reason for not staying in Konoha, for not letting Sasuke help her, and while even now desperately trying to avoid letting him get involved with her. Her entire family had been slaughtered because of her selfish desire to protect Konoha, to protect Naruto, by herself. Even if she knew she was making the same mistake by leaving Konoha to fight Akatsuki on her own, it was the only repentance she could offer her family.

Sasuke knew she would not answer him. He knew why she distanced herself from him. He was her weakness, someone who could be used against her. He knew that when seeking revenge, when trying to get stronger, you can afford no weaknesses. That is the exact reason he left her at the beginning of it all. He was the only one who could understand her right now, and because of that, anything he tried to say to stop her would on be hypocritical to his own actions.

"Sakura...do you understand what you are saying when you speak of ridding the world of Akatsuki?" Sasuke asked her skeptically.

"I do," She replied instantly.

"You are aware that Madara Uchiha is the leader of Akatsuki?" Sasuke pressed once again.

"I do," She retorted yet another time.

"Sakura...if you fight Madara, he will kill you," Sasuke attempted to get his point across to her.

"I know," She answered, keeping her same casual tone she had throughout the conversation.

Sasuke couldn't help but allow is ever stoic face to fall into horrific confusion. In all his battle for revenge against Itachi, the thought of losing had never crossed his mind. He had left Konoha to become stronger, to rid himself of his weaknesses, so that he could pursue his revenge. His Uchiha pride also drove him to his arrogant attitude towards invincibility, along with the help of the ever present curse mark.

Sakura could tell every emotion that crossed his face as she let the impact of her words soak the atmosphere between them. She saw anger, confusion, annoyance, and would even go as far as to claim he felt hurt by her simple response. Feeling an overwhelming sensation to explain the why's Sakura leaned back against the wall, folding her arms across her chest in an attempt to look annoyed by him, and stared once again at the mystical entrance of the cave.

"You are the last of the Haruno's and your name will die with you...Madara attached that memento at the bottom of my last letter..." She repeated the phrase that had plagued her the past six and a half months.

Sasuke knew exactly what the last letter had said, he had witnessed what Akatsuki had done to her family. Knowing all this, Sasuke still knew that not even he stood a chance against Madara. Madara was the most renown Uchiha leaders in history, the first to awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan, and Sasuke's features immediately cleared, giving her his full attention.

"I know that I will not last but ten minutes against Madara. I know that I don't have a chance at beating him, but I will do everything in my power to stop them and avenge my family. I am the only one to blame for my family's death. If my death is to come because of my lack of strength, then so be it." Sakura said, more convincing herself than Sasuke.

Sakura rose from where she sat and began packing her things. The sudden action taking Sasuke by surprise. He sat and watched her, confused at why she would so suddenly be ready to depart when she was still so obviously exhausted. That confusion was quickly dispersed when Sasuke sensed Shikimaru and the others closing in on their position. He was caught between the two. He knew for his freedom's sake that he needed to follow orders and await Shikimaru and the others, but what did freedom mean if Sakura was not there to share it with her.

"Sakura, what do you expect me to do if you die?" Sasuke asked quietly.

Sakura paused from her packing, thinking of an answer worthy of his question. Folding and packing her futon, zipping up her backpack, Sakura stood and looked down at Sasuke.

"I expect you to live," She stated simply walking out of the cave.

Following Sakura outside, Sasuke had not realize how long they had been talking until he saw the orange glare of the setting sun. Sasuke knew that if he didn't take a stand now, he wasn't sure when or if he'd have another chance. Taking a deep breath, he grabbed Sakura's hand, stopping her. Sasuke watched as she turned back to him, casting a scowl of annoyance his way.

"Let me come with you..." he couldn't stop the words from flooding out.

He was pushing aside his pride, removing his stoic mask, and acting completely out of his character with just that one simple phrase. The Sasuke Uchiha that Sakura knew would never _ask_ anyone for anything, he would simply do. He most certainly wouldn't have any involvement with anyone past what was beneficial to him, but at this moment in time he was going against everything that he was to stay with her.

"No Sasuke..." Sakura said as she pulled her hand away, "You will be killed if you abandon the village again...and I want to do this on my own.

Reaching for her once again, Sasuke hadn't the words to express how at a loss he felt. He knew he had no right to force himself upon her, but he wouldn't let her do this alone, not like he had. Upon trying to create a reason of why she shouldn't go, Sasuke's thoughts were interrupted by the static coming from his radio.

"Teme, can you hear us!" Naruto screamed over the static.

Sasuke didn't reply, but he knew his time with Sakura was coming to an end.

"Sakura..." he whispered, disappointment in his voice.

Sakura stared silently into his onyx eyes, willing herself to move while her body disobeyed. Closing her eyes and biting her lower lip, she knew this was quite possibly the last time she would ever see him.

"The next time I see you," She said softly as she closed the gap between their bodies, "I will act as if today never happened. I will have blocked off every emotion I feel for you and the only thing important to me will be my revenge. If you try to stop me again...I will kill you..." She finished now only a few inches from him.

Standing on her toes and pulling herself closer by holding his biceps with her slender hands, Sakura's lips met his. Sasuke held her close, crushing her against his body, deepening the kiss. With one arm around her waist and his other hand holding the back of her neck, Sasuke brushed his tongue against her lips. Responding to his eagerness, Sakura allowed his tongue to caress her own. His kissed grew rougher, more desperate, as his body begged her for some sort of relief.

Sakura broke away, resting her forehead against his chest. Taking a deep breath, she looked into his anxious black pearls, and smiled at him. It wasn't the cold smile she had given him the past year, it was that genuine smile that lit up his whole world. The smile that make her eyes twinkle, even in the darkest of night. The smile that was only for him. Seeing this smile, Sasuke immediately relaxed.

Taking a step away from him, Sakura's arms dropped to her side as she removed herself from his grasp. She knew that Neji would be able to see which direction she went if she didn't leave within the next few moments. She decided right then that this would be the last time Sakura Haruno, the Sakura that Sasuke had always known, would surface. From here on out, she would be the cold, emotionless fighting machine that had helped her survive the past six months. This would be the last time she allowed herself any sort of comfort, warmth, or love because she knew she didn't deserve it. She was a monster for what she had let happen to her family, and she would live alone, as a monster should. She had made up her mind and would no longer let her weak self from the past rule over her. She had to leave. Taking another step back, Sakura took another deep breath before removing the last smile she would ever hold.

Forcing herself to look at him one last time, she whispered the last words she would ever say to him, "I love you...Sasuke-kun..."

Sakura watched his expression change from the lust he still held from their passionate kiss to total despair. Knowing she had hurt him was enough to almost make her stay...almost, but her revenge took more precedent than anything in her life. Feeling content that her true self had reached him, Sakura disappeared from in front of him, making her escape through the rugged terrain before Neji would have the chance to track her.

* * *

Naruto appeared a few moments later to see Sasuke lost in a daydream.

"Teme! Couldn't you hear us?" Naruto shouted as he grasped Sasuke's shoulder.

Sasuke didn't reply. Instead he continued staring off in the direction that his pink haired kunoichi had left him.

"Sasuke?" Neji spoke in a low, serious tone.

"How do you expect me to hear you over static you dobe?" Sasuke replied in a melancholy voice.

Shikimaru, taking note of Sasuke's depressed demeanor, began eying the area for any signs of Sakura.

"Did you find her?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke stood in silence for a few moments before answering, "...No. I searched every cave here, but I couldn't find her anywhere..."

Sighing and mumbling something along the lines of 'how troublesome women are' turned and began walking back towards Konoha.

Neji glared suspiciously at Sasuke before following Shikimaru.

"Don't worry Sasuke, we'll find her and bring her back. It's Sakura we're talking about here. There's no way she could refuse the both of us!" Naruto said in an attempt to cheer his friend up.

Sighing, not wanting a confrontation with Naruto, Sasuke simply nodded and turned to follow the two ahead of him back to the Village Hidden in the Leaves. Shoving his hands in his pockets, he couldn't help but smirk at the irony of Naruto's last statement.

_"She's not the same weak fan-girl we used to protect...if you only knew just how serious she was Naruto..." _Sasuke thought, reflecting on Sakura's threat to end his life.

Stopping to look up at the first stares of the night's blanket, Sasuke's eyes hardened with determination.

_"We will meet again Sakura...and I will do whatever it takes to end this and bring you back...I promise."_

* * *

**A/N: **FINALLY! You have no idea how many times I scrapped this chapter and started over! Sasuke is such a hard character to write! So...I have myself a deadline set for tmw (August 14th, 2009) as the deadline for finishing this story, but life keeps getting in the way! I'm pretty sure I can wrap this fanfic up in one more chapter, but I might have to extend my deadline to this Sunday (August 16th, 2009) depending on how many times I have to edit the next chapter! I'm trying really hard to keep this as realistic to Naruto as possible, but considering the fact that Zetsu and Madara have never been in battle (at least not according to Narutopedia and other databases)...it's REALLY hard to write about them. I know how I am going to end the story so I just have to fill the gap in between! Hope this chapter was to your liking!

Reviews make me write! : ^D


	3. Chapter 3

****I absolutely demand that you read Fines Apply by anonthetissues (formally out. paxton whom I dedicated Life After Team 7 to)! It is the sweetest, most brilliant SasuSaku one-shot I have ever read! PLEASE PLEASE read it!****

**A/N: **Upon popular request, I have decided to write a sequel to Life After Team 7. I tried very hard to keep the characters in character as much as possible while at the same time molding them to fit the plot of my story. Sasuke is a very hard character to write! I hope I do not disappoint the fans!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything related to the Naruto series, however I do own the rights and plot to this fanfiction.

****WARNING:**** This chapter will contain graphic content. You have been warned...

* * *

A Place to Call Home

**Chapter 3**

**Sequel to Life After Team 7**

It had been a three weeks since Sasuke had last seen Sakura. Tsunade and special members of ANBU had been gathering as much information on the Akatsuki members as possible, but nothing led them to her. It was as if she had disappeared from the face of the Earth and with each passing day, Sasuke grew more irritated. The only relief he found was sparing with various people, but that only took up a small portion of his day.

Stepping out of the shower, Sasuke wrapped a towel around his lower body, and tossed another over his head. Sitting down on a bench in the ANBU locker room, Sasuke let his head hang as he braced himself with his elbows on her knees. He watched the droplets of water slowly drip from the tips of his hair and studied how each one splattered as it landed on the floor. It was the little things like these that he desperately yearned for as an escape from the pink haired kunoichi that dominated his thoughts. Bursting through the door, Sasuke's eyes bolted up to meet an exasperated Naruto.

"Sasuke, Tsunade wants us now," Naruto stated with urgency in his voice.

Sasuke knew whatever Naruto had to say was serious just by the simple fact that he had actually addressed him by his name rather than the usual "teme." Naruto had not waited for Sasuke to ask any questions as he sped off to Tsunade's office and Sasuke had already begun dressing by the time Naruto had finished saying his name. Sasuke knew that it was information on Sakura. It would be the only reason she would call an urgent meeting their day off.

Now fully clothed in his traditional jonin attire, Sasuke raced out the door towards Tsunade's office. He was desperate for any kind of news that would let him know she was still alive and breathing. Even better would be news that would allow them another reconnaissance mission.

* * *

Pushing through the door, Sasuke saw that Neji, Shikimaru, and Naruto were already there waiting for the news. The moment the door shut behind Sasuke, Tsunade began informing the quartet on the intelligence they had just received.

"As I am sure you are already aware, we have received news on Sakura..." Tsunade paused, allowing time for her words to sink in, "From the information out scouts were able to gather, Zetsu has been eliminated. His body was found in the Land of Wind outside the Village Hidden in the Sand. Due to the fact that Zetsu was the "cleaner," his body was found three days ago by a traveling caravan. There were pictures taken and from what I've read in the reports it was...a gruesome find." Tsunade stated as she analyzed the report.

"Meaning Sakura probably took some hard blows as well," Shikimaru deducted from Tsunade's vague description.

"There is nothing of Sakura's condition in the reports, but that is a possibility," Tsunade replied, anxiety clearly written on her face, "There is also another report that came in early this morning. While we cannot be certain...it appears that Madara Uchiha has been dealt with as well..."

"What!" Sasuke blurted out.

"Was it Sakura?" Naruto asked suspiciously.

"There would be no possible way. Even if we assume Sakura was not injured during her fight with Zetsu, her body would not have enough time to recover. From what I have heard, even if Sakura was at one hundred percent, she would need a lot of luck on her side to defeat Madara." Shikimaru stated coolly.

"Shikimaru's right, the deaths are too close for it to be Sakura. There is also the fact that Madara's body was found in the Land of Sound the day after Zetsu's body was discovered," Tsunade paused, flipping through the pages of the Madara report, "The only alternatives are that either Sakura has a new partner or that there is someone else out there wanting to eliminate the Akatsuki. The latter seems to be the more liable reason."

Sasuke suddenly had an epiphany, however due to the fact that he had withheld the truth of his meeting with Sakura in the caves, he couldn't reveal his knowledge.

"Sasuke, do you know something?" Tsunade asked while observing his tense figure.

"Hn..." Sasuke replied quietly.

The five of them were silent, thinking of other possibilities that could account for the recent events. Since they knew so little about Sakura and her whereabouts after the confrontation in the woods, none of them could string together a logical theory.

"What would you have us do?" Neji asked breaking the silence.

Sighing, Tsunade tossed the folder back on her desk, "We don't have enough information to do anything yet. Right now I will have you on stand-by. Be prepared to leave at any given moment."

Shikimaru, catching the drift that their meeting was over, paid his respects and proceeded to leave the office. Neji followed close behind, as well as Naruto who stopped halfway out seeing as how Sasuke had yet to move.

"Hey teme, you still up for Ichiraku's Ramen Stand?" Naruto asked quizzically.

"Ah...I'll be there in a bit," Sasuke replied.

"Hurry up teme! I'm starving!" Naruto replied, waving his hand as he shut the door behind him.

* * *

Sakura hobbled into a small, desolate village near Sunagakure_. _Her right leg was either fractured or broken from Zetsu's attempt to drag her down into an Earthy coffin. While the wound through her abdomen from the last battle with Zetsu had completely healed, with impeccable precision, he had managed to stab through the same exact spot. While the wound was not fatal, due to the scar tissue that had _not _completely vanished, the wound was much harder to _re-_heal.

While the extra robe she had stashed in her backpack covered most of the bloody mess she had become, she still received a few strange looks from the existing villagers. Managing to make her way to an inn, she was not surprised when the keeper told her "all his rooms were booked." She was tired, she was worn, she was in pain, she was most definitely losing a large amount of blood, but she was not stupid. Reaching under her robe she grab her coin purse and pulled out two hundred and fifty ryō.

"That covers a room for a night." She stated as she held out her hand for a key.

The inn keeper quickly reached under his desk and handed her the key for the nicest room, being that they were all vacant. Sakura quickly took the key and proceeded upstairs. Immediately using her stored chakra to finish healing her leg, she took in her surroundings. Before all else she decided that she would shower, and then she would take a long, well deserved nap before leaving early in the morning in pursuit of Madara Uchiha.

_"Come on body...only one more left. I don't care if you give out after that...just last for one more..."_ She thought as she stripped, examining her fresh wounds.

Her body was no longer the soft, radiant one it had once been was now scarred and calloused from battles. While her target enemy was the Akatsuki, she jumped at any chance she had to improve her fighting skills. For the past seven months there had been a total of maybe a week, not consecutively of course, where she had not gotten into at least one fight. Her body was breaking down from the extensive abuse. She knew that the strain of repeatedly depleting her chakra was a contributing factor, but she felt that each time she did so, her chakra came back stronger. She would be, by far, one of the most power kunoichi's in Konoha by this point. Possibly even giving Tsunade a run for her money.

As she showered, she scrubbed her skin, never feeling like she could remove the blood that stained her skin. She had killed two men who deserved much more than death, but there were others. All common thieves, chauvinist and abusive pigs, even slave drivers, and a few missing-nin, but they were all still human beings and she was nowhere close to God. She had no right to end their lives, even if they had come at her in an attempt to take her life, she felt it was still wrong. She had hardened herself to feel nothing, perfecting the ability since Sasuke had left, but there were times when she still felt vulnerable. Those times were few and far between, but they still came eventually.

Drying her skin with a towel, Sakura again checked her wounds. They were nothing more than pink traces along her skin now. Satisfied with the results of her relaxing shower, she threw on the last clean batch of clothes he had, tossing her others in the sink to be washed before she departed. Her hair still dripping wet was loosely braided behind her to keep it from matting in her sleep. Laying on top of the blankets supplied as her futon, Sakura was encumbered by lack of sleep and soon drifted off into the only place she could escape her miserable reality, her dreams.

* * *

Sasuke stood quietly, waiting for Tsunade to begin the inevitable conversation the two of them would have.

Shuffling a few papers on her desk, Tsunade stopped and laced her fingers together.

"Akatsuki has been annihilated." She began.

"Hai," he responded calmly.

"Then you have kept your part of the contract. I can no longer bind you to Konoha. Although, I do hope that you decide to stay and help us tie up any loose ends with Akatsuki." Tsunade replied in her normal, raspy voice.

"Tsunade. I have fulfilled my part. I want to go to Sakura, I want to find her. I will bring her back. I cannot stay here when she is still out there. If Akatsuki is truly gone, then she should no longer feel the need to avenge her family." Sasuke stated in a firm, yet apologetic tone.

"I understand. You have earned your freedom and I acknowledge your request to leave Konoha for personal affairs," Tsunade stated in her Hokage voice before leaning forward and lowering her tone, "Do whatever you have to and bring Sakura back. Do you understand..."

"Hai," Sasuke replied with his usual cocky smirk.

Leaving the Hokage's office, Sasuke decided he would keep his decision from Naruto. It would only cause his blond friend grief in the fact that he could not leave in order to help Sasuke with his search. Heading home, Sasuke began to pack a few essentials in his bag before heading to Ichiraku's to meet Naruto for dinner.

* * *

It was nearly seven o'clock when Sasuke finally reached the Ramen Stand. He felt slightly guilt ridden for Naruto having to wait forty-five minutes to eat. On the other hand, the excitement that grew inside him overwhelmed any other feelings from flourishing.

"Damnit, teme...I'm starving here!" Naruto stated grumpily as Sasuke took a seat on the stool next to him.

"We'll have the usual Ayame-san," Naruto said, changing the tone in his voice.

"Give me ten minutes," Teuchi yelled from behind the stove.

"Hai," Naruto answered before turning back to Sasuke, "So what took you?"

"Just had to talk with Tsunade about something," Sasuke replied honestly.

Naruto sense that there was something missing from his brief explanation, but knew Sasuke well enough to not ask. The two sat silently, eating their ramen, however the tension between them made up for the loss of words.

"Hrm," Naruto cleared his throat, "Sasuke...is everything alright?"

"Ah," Sasuke replied between mouthfuls.

"Sasuke," Naruto sighed, pushing his now empty bowl of ramen in front of him, "I know you're going through a tough time. So am I...Sakura means the world to me."

Sasuke's grip on chopsticks tightened involuntarily, threatening to shatter the two pieces of wood, as he listened to Naruto speaking so fondly of Sakura.

"I mean," Naruto slightly chuckled as he reminisced, "Sakura and I have been through hell and back together. We depended on each other, we fought together, we bled together, and we waited for you...together. It's always been just me and her. Then, the best thing in the world happened to me _because _of Sakura. She was the one who told my oblivious self of Hinata's affections. I always felt guilty and grateful to her for that," Naruto's face was now sullen as he thought of how Sakura must have yearned for Sasuke the way that Hinata had yearned for him.

Sasuke's stopped eating and placed his chopsticks down. There were feelings of jealousy, resentment, guilt, and remorse flowing through him, despite his ever stoic mask. He knew Sakura and Naruto shared a bond that could never be broken, he even feared that bond would always be greater than the one he wished to solidify with her.

"Naruto," Sasuke's voice grave with seriousness, "What was Sakura like after...we met at Orochimaru's hideout?"

Naruto sat silently, contemplating on how he should form his next few sentences, before finally speaking, "Sasuke...I-" Closing his eyes, Naruto briskly stood from his stool, shoving in hands deep in his pockets, and leaving Sasuke stunned at Ichiraku's.

_"What the hell was that!" _Sasuke cursed at he stood and followed Naruto.

"Naruto! What is it!" Sasuke demanded.

"Sasuke," Naruto paused, his entire demeanor had drastically changed, "I am not blood to Sakura, but I consider her family...my _only_..._true_ family."

Naruto's words stung Sasuke. He knew that after a year, they were going to finally say what they had been desperately trying to shove deeper into the depths of their unconscious thoughts.

"Damn you Sasuke! It's always you..." Naruto shouted, clenching his teeth, "I love you and I hate you all at the same time. You're the only person I believe to be my best-friend and the bond I share with you is intangible, but I detest what you've done to her!" Naruto continued his rant, finally turning to face Sasuke.

Sasuke knew he deserved this, he had asked a question dealing with him and the past, never a good combination, and that was all it took to unleash the true feelings Naruto had sealed.

Naruto, taking a deep breath in an effort to calm himself down, "Sasuke...when we finally caught up with you, when we thought we could finally get you to come home, you disappeared again...it crushed her. She slowly started growing colder. She started shutting people out, she never smiled, and she trained harder. She eventually became a hollow shell of what she once was because it was the only way she didn't feel the pain of you leaving her...again. I made a constant effort to fill the void that you left with her and in the end we became closer. I was able to get her to open up to me. At first I thought I had romantic feelings towards her, but the more I was with her, the more I just wanted to protect her...protect her from hurting, protect her from being hurt, protect her from you..."

Sasuke was irate. He was irate at what he had made her endure, at that thought of Naruto filling her heart, at the fact that if he had acted upon his feelings, Naruto could very well have taken her away from him completely.

"I know you met her...in those caves," Naruto stated bluntly.

Sasuke could only raise an eyebrow at Naruto, "Hn..."

"She wouldn't even hear me out. I can never forgive you, Sasuke. However, I know it's not me that her heart yearns for, as my heart does not yearn for her, but I will be damned if I let you break her completely Sasuke!" Naruto shouted, rushing at Sasuke and grabbing a fist full of his flak jacket.

"I'm going to bring her back..." Sasuke spoke, just above a whisper.

"Wha-...What did you say?" Naruto eyes darted between the two of Sasuke's.

"I am going to bring Sakura back." His voice stronger than before.

"And just how do you plan to do that?" Naruto asked skeptically.

"Akatsuki has been eliminated. I am no longer tied to Konoha. Tsunade has acknowledged my request to venture from Konoha for person reasons. I will bring her back," Sasuke clarified.

Naruto was stunned. He wasn't sure how to take the news he had just learned. He slowly lowered his head, keeping his firm grip on Sasuke's jacket.

"If...when I bring Sakura back, can I ask for your forgiveness?" Sasuke's voice again dropping just above a whisper.

Stepping back, Naruto scratched the back of his head, giving one of his sheepish grins, "What are you talking about teme? When you bring Sakura back, you don't even have to bother asking."

Sasuke gave his trademark smirk and nodded to Naruto's declaration.

"Do you think she's still in the Land of Wind?" Naruto asked in a more serious tone.

"I'm not entirely sure...but I have an idea of where her next destination might be," Sasuke answered thoughtfully.

"So when are you leaving?" Naruto questioned.

"Tonight," Sasuke replied confidently.

* * *

Sakura awoke as the sun peaked in through the tattered, rust colored curtains. Sitting up, disorientated at where she was currently residing, Sakura jolted awake when she realized it was past sunrise. She honestly couldn't remember the last time she had slept so soundly. Standing and rushing to the window, she felt a small bit of relief when she saw that the sun was only beginning to rise. Gathering her items quickly, she tossed her room key on the bed for the inn keeper to retrieve once they realized she was already gone. Opening the window, Sakura tossed her backpack over her shoulder and slipped out onto the overhang of the second floor. She quickly jumped from roof to roof, easily escaping the eyes of any villagers who might be awake.

Within a days' time Sakura had reached the border of the Land of Wind and the Land of Rain, here Sakura had a tough decision to make, if she chose to go through Yugakure, the Village Hidden in Hot Water, she would have to inevitably travel through the western portion of the Land of Fire. Her only other option was the take the round-about path that would take her through the Land of Rain, where she would reach the border and travel across the Land of Grass, wherein she would reach the border of the Land of the Waterfall before finally arriving in the Land of Sound. Traveling through the Land of Fire would save her a good four days' time, assuming she didn't run into any old friends from Konoha, but traveling the longer route would save her the issue from traveling through the Land of Fire all together.

_"From where I stand...it's going to take me at least three and a half days to reach the Sound Village going through the Land of Fire_, _traveling around, it could take me a week...possibly longer..."_ Sakura sighed, rationalizing over how ignorant it would be for her to waste four days just because she didn't want to travel near Konoha.

Tightening her robe, Sakura began her journey towards Yugakure.

* * *

Sasuke, outfitted in his loose fitting black pants he had worn with Orochimaru and a royal blue sleeveless top, with the usual Uchiha emblem adorned on the back. His knuckles to his elbows were tightly wrapped in bandages, while using blue arm guards to held them in place. He wore his Leaf forehead protector and his backpack only carried the essentials he would need for survival.

He had decided he would wait for Sakura at the border of the Land of Fire and the Land of Sound. He was gambling on whether the outskirts of the Village Hidden in the Sound would be her next target, but his intuition held him there. It had been nearly three days since Sasuke had left Konoha. While he busied himself with scouting the area, he constantly felt the inkling of an ominous aura. He had searched the proximity nearest to him, but continued to come up with nothing. Sighing aloud as the sun began setting, ending the third day of his patient wait, Sasuke leaned against the trunk of a tree high above the ground. His body felt slightly exhausted from his expeditions and he soon drifted into a restless slumber.

Sasuke's eyes flashed open at the sound of rustling leaves, as the wind blew through the wooded region. Quickly sitting up, Sasuke's eyes darted to the ground around him. He could feel the chill of the air brush against his skin, taking note that the moon was now high above him from the lighting it bestowed the forest with. Gaining his bearings, Sasuke soon realized that he was not alone. As if on cue, the pink haired kunoichi, his goddess walked into view.

The hood of her robe had fallen behind her, due to the gusty wind, as her long, silky air whipped in the air from the elastic band that held it atop her head. Her pale, ivory skin was illuminated tenfold in the rays of the moon. She was his embodiment of heaven. His illusions of her was broken when he heard the sweet ringing that was her voice.

"Show yourself..."

Sasuke froze. He was not fearful of her, he would gladly show himself to her if that was what she wanted, but she was not speaking to him. It was at that exact moment when he felt another presence, one that he had inadvertently missed. Cursing himself, Sasuke activated his Sharingan in order to focus on what was transpiring beneath him. He was impressed that Sakura had been able to sense the intruder's presence before him, but he reminded himself that she always had been in complete control of her chakra, it was only natural for her to be more acute to sensing someone else.

Sasuke waited, but no one came from hiding. His red orbs search the ground and the trees, but came up with nothing. If it had not been for his Sharingan, Sasuke was sure that he would have missed what happened next. His eyes flew back to Sakura's figure as she acrobatically did a back-hand spring from where she once stood, barely missing the attack. He watched as she wiped the blood that began to trickle down her cheek from the sheer power of the assault.

There, still crouched on the ground from where he had landed, stood Kabuto's deformed figure. Orochimaru's remains seemed to have enveloped more than half of his body, as well as his power. He was no longer the "side-kick," he was a force to be reckoned with. His body glowed in a dark chakra, visible to the eye. Sasuke immediately knew that Sakura's life was in danger. He began to descend the tree, but stopped as he caught their conversation.

"So you killed Madara..." Sakura stated.

Sasuke's eyes widened, _"How could she know?"_

Kabuto's laugh came mechanically, "You never cease to amaze me Sakura...you deducted that from just seeing me..."

"Of course. Madara refused you, thus you used the power you had absorbed through Orochimaru's remains and won. It's not a hard concept to grasp seeing your body has drastically transformed...and that you are alive, standing in front of me. That could only reinforce my theory of your victory," Sakura replied coolly.

"Then ask me Sakura, what could I possibly want from you?" Kabuto asked mocking her cool attitude while he stood to his feet.

There was silence, as Sasuke eagerly listened for her reply.

"You don't know? I'll tell you...I intend to use you to gather the Uchiha and the Nine-Tails," Kabuto said as a grotesque smile grew on his face.

"They won't come..." Sakura replied as if not phased by Kabuto's plans.

"What makes you so sure?" Kabuto asked, grin still plastered to his face.

"I have nothing to do with them. I left, betrayed, my village and cut my ties with them. Tsunade-sama is not stupid. Once she learns that you defeated Madara, she will piece together the rest. She would not allow Naruto or Sasuke to come for me," Sakura replied, keeping her face hard and emotionless.

"You really believe they will not come for you?" Kabuto smirked, his eyes traveling up the tall trees.

Sasuke knew Kabuto was aware of him, but he was more frustrated with what Sakura had just said. He wanted to rush down and stand between her and Kabuto, he wanted to protect her as he always had, but something within him kept him from doing so. He wasn't sure if it was her bizarrely cool, ironically familiar, attitude towards the entire situation or the fact that she believed her ties with him were severed. The way she simply accepted the fact that Kabuto would overtake her and how she had no regrets in the fact that once Tsunade had learned the truth of the situation, she would have indeed disallow Sasuke and Naruto leaving the village. He gripped his fists in anger at the entire dilemma, not sure what exactly Kabuto had planned.

Sasuke watched as Sakura threw several kunai in Kabuto's direction, easily flipping forward over them, and stood directly in front of her.

"You should know better than to lose focus when you're around me..." Sakura stated, undaunted by the fact that Kabuto was now so close to her.

Kabuto's hand gently raised to her cheek, healing the wound he had caused her, then resting it against her skin. He gently used his free hand to unlaced the strings that held the robe over her body. As the garment fell to the ground, Kabuto moved to pull Sakura closer to him with his free hand.

Sasuke was ablaze with an unfamiliar emotion that grew in his stomach. It was the same emotion he had felt when he witnessed Sakura and Naruto together in the market, when he had seen that amazing smile she had kept hidden from him. Crouching down on the tree branch, ready to pounce the moment Kabuto's lips made a move on hers. Sasuke was denied the privileged as he watch Sakura's hand pierce through Kabuto's stomach, glowing blue as it became visible behind him, before being ripped back through as it retreated.

Staggering back, Sasuke watched as Kabuto's body evaporated into a puff of smoke. His eyes, focusing on Sakura for a split second, before focusing on the dark figure approaching from behind her. Before he time to yell down to her, Sakura had already leaped into the air as Kabuto rushed underneath her. Sakura was not fast enough to dodge Kabuto's next attack as several snakes protruded from his arm to her upward direction.

Sasuke's body tighten as be watched blood splatter into the air, falling onto the ground like rain, before her body was replaced by a log of wood.

* * *

Sakura gripped her right shoulder tightly, trying to apply enough pressure to stop the bleeding while she healed her wound. She was fortunate enough to escape, only have one of the snakes pierce through her shoulder and another leave a deep gash in the connecting arm. Her breath rasped from the sudden pain racking through her. She knew she had been poisoned, thus why the wound had not begun healing instantly. She also knew she had to do everything in her power to stop Kabuto where they stood.

Leaning against the tree she was hidden behind, Sakura tried to lower her pulse, attempting to at least close the wound before Kabuto found her. She had no such luck and she had to immediately leap from the tree, back to the small clearing she was wounded in, as Kabuto's glowing hand cut down the tree.

"Sakura," Kabuto began, walking calmly to Sakura's hunched form, "I don't expect too much from you...just a little entertainment before I move on to...bigger opponents."

Sakura collected herself, standing to her full height, as the blood continued to drip down her arm, falling to the ground at her fingertips. For a moment, the entire world seemed to have been placed in slow motion. She could sense everything through her chakra. She could hear the wind as it blew, she could hear every flutter of wings from the birds that desperately escaped the area, she could hear and feel it all. Feeling more at one with herself, Sakura disappeared from where she stood, reappearing behind Kabuto. Not wanting to waste the small advantage she had gained, Sakura landed a fist at the base of Kabuto's head, sending him flying into the trees in front of them. Again she disappeared as he hurriedly crawled out of the lumber he was trapped beneath, only to be yanked out by Sakura as she attempted to severe his body completely in two with a kick to his torso.

Kabuto recovered quickly, this time, waiting for Sakura to bluntly attack head on once again. For a moment there was silence. Suddenly Kabuto's eyes shifted above him, only to receive a blow to the face as Sakura's fist plummeted him to the ground. Crawling out of the hole his body had made in the Earth, Kabuto stood and whipped the blood from his mouth.

"Quite impressive...but you should know that it will take much more than a few good blows to take me down," Kabuto smirked, "It seems though that our play time should be just about over."

Sakura stood several feet away, heaving for air as she clutched her chest. Her shoulder and arm had finally stopped bleeding, but the effects of the poison were beginning to wear on her. Losing her strength, she feel to one knee, bracing herself with her free hand as it caught the ground.

"I will give you credit...you entertained me," He continued, crouching in front her.

Using his finger, he tilted her chin to meet his gaze, "What a beautiful glare...I'm sure a certain someone else appreciates it much more than I do though..." Kabuto chuckled as he disappeared from her sight.

Sakura knew what he was doing. She had known all along, thus why she had desperate fought when she knew she should have retreated. She knew she only have a matter of second before it would be too late. Summoning all her strength, Sakura's body glowed a vibrant green...and Sakura stood.

* * *

Kabuto's hand emitted a bright blue light as he charged towards the tree line behind him. As he neared the tree, a figure having a katana drawn, stepped out from behind. Just as Kabuto swung his arm to make contact, he was shocked at what happened in front of him.

"Sakura..." Kabuto sneered through clenched teeth.

At the last moment, Sakura threw herself in front of Kabuto, crossing her arms in front of her in an "x" fashion with clenched fists as her arms glowed cerulean blue, blocking Kabuto's attack.

Sakura stood a mere inches of the body behind her, gasping for air, while Kabuto leisurely flipped backwards to create distance between them.

"You're fight...is with me..." Sakura spoke between breaths.

"I must commend your heroic performance Ms. Haruno. I didn't expect you to be able to move after I injected so much poison within you," Kabuto stated as he quietly clapped his hands in applause.

Sakura stood, facing Kabuto, while directly her next statement behind her, "Sasuke, what the hell are you doing here..."

Sasuke, somewhat in awe of the kunoichi in front of her, stood silently with his kitana drawn. She had gotten so fast, so strong, become a greater shinobi in the past seven months that he didn't recognize her as the weak, pathetic excuse of a leaf ninja she once had been.

"I've come for the same reason you came after me..." Sasuke replied smugly.

"I told you-" Sakura began, but was immediately cutoff by Sasuke.

"Akatsuki has been eliminated. Your goal is finished!" Sasuke yelled.

As Sakura was about to reply, she was forced to separate from him as Kabuto performed the Hidden Shadow Snake Hands technique once again.

Now standing parallel from each other Sakura's body was at its limit. She knew that the supply of chakra she was feeding her body with was not infinite and the moment she ran out, the poison would take its course.

"Please...continue your conversation. It makes it all the more effortless on my end to kill you," Kabuto said as he once again lunged at Sasuke, only to be blocked by Sakura's desperate attempt to stay between them.

"So I see you've figured it out...interesting. If you are so determined, then I will just have to finish you off before moving on to the Uchiha boy," Kabuto stated grimly.

"Hai...but you will not kill me Kabuto. While you have gained access to some of Orochimaru's techniques, I can sense the damage it is doing to your body..." Sakura replied breathlessly.

"Sakura, don't get in my way again..." Sasuke said coldly, annoyed with the kunoichi's previous actions.

"Shut it Uchiha..." Sakura retorted in the same manner.

"I won't tell you again Sakura, move out from in front of me and stay out of my way," Sasuke said as he began walking past her.

Sakura threw her tattered arm up, blocking him from walking any further. Clenching her teeth, Sakura glared at Sasuke's stoic, yet annoyed expression.

"Sasuke...this is not your fight," Sakura said as she tried to remain as calm as possible.

Sasuke, clearly exasperated, grabbed Sakura's wrist, "You had your fight, now he has turned his attention to me. I will finish this and we will return to Konoha."

When Sasuke tried to lowered Sakura's arm readying himself for Kabuto's oncoming attack, he was shocked when she grabbed his shirt, pulling herself in front of him. At that exact moment, Kabuto's Chakra Scalpel sliced through the tissue of her back, the sudden thrust forcing her to cough up blood.

"DAMNIT Sakura! Stop this!" Sasuke screamed as he felt Sakura throw him back, turning to land a kick against Kabuto's face.

Sakura was a bloody, exhausted mess. She managed to stop the bleeding of the wound to her back, but she knew the moment she needed to make a quick evasion it would reopen. She knew she had to end this quickly. She would have to use _that_ to end Kabuto, but in the state she was currently in, she knew it would be detrimental to her body.

"Sasuke...you don't understand. Think for a moment. Why would what is left of Kabuto be so desperate for you. Why is he ignoring me and only attacking you when I am clearly weakened?" Sakura remarked, standing once again and glaring over her shoulder.

Sasuke knew that Kabuto had gained access to Orochimaru's powers, due to the fact that he absorbed most of Orochimaru's remains. Sasuke knew Kabuto held a grudge against him because Orochimaru had favored him, had trained him so diligently, in order to one day take over his body.

_"Shit..."_ Sasuke cursed himself.

Sakura smirked at how quickly Sasuke put everything together, "Now you know why I absolutely cannot allow him near you."

_"I walked right into his trap,"_ Sasuke cursed himself once again.

"Sakura..." Sasuke began, taking note of the drastic change in chakra he was able to see due to his Sharingan.

"_I_ am going to protect _you_ this time around..." Sakura replied, removing her gaze from him, attempting to relocate Kabuto.

Leaping into the air, Sakura was caught in midair when Kabuto grabbed ankle as he reached out from beneath the ground. Sakura immediately felt pain as he used his Chakra Scalpel to cut the tendons allowing her movement of her foot. Not wasting any time, Sakura quickly landed a kick to Kabuto's cheek, causing him to fly into a tree. Prepared for this, Kabuto easily regained his orientation, skidding to a stop in the moist ground. Dusting off his shoulders, Kabuto began slowly pacing around Sakura, waiting for the chance to end her life so that he could continue his business with Sasuke.

Sakura waited patiently as she secretly released the seal she kept hidden by her hair on the back of her neck. Across Sakura's forehead, metallic-violet colored markings grew. Throwing a couple of hand signs as her body began glowing in a red tent as the marks evaporated into her skin. Kabuto took a step back, knowing what the previous actions had meant. Sakura released the Genesis of Rebirth, technique that Tsunade had secretly taught her that hastened the creation of new cells within her body, healing her wounds. With Sakura's body rejuvenated, Kabuto knew it was an entirely new fight.

Sasuke watched, from his perch on a branch in amazement, as Sakura fought below him. She was nothing like he remembered. She was strong, she was fast, and she was in complete control of her chakra. Every punch she threw was precise, every kick landed on its target, and she was completely at one with herself. While Sasuke knew he could not risk battling Kabuto as he was now, he would be ready for the moment she needed him, the moment the tables turned against her.

Sasuke could feel the battle coming to an end as Sakura landed punch after punch against Kabuto's flailing form. Her body, recharged from the Genesis of Rebirth Technique, was dominating Kabuto's who had obviously not taken into perspective recuperating after his battle with Madara. She landed punch after punch, kick after kick, until she had finally created her perfect opening.

Sakura landed an uppercut on Kabuto as she leaped in the air, kicking his shoulder and throwing his body to the left. The moment about can in contact with the helpless tree to the side of him, Sakura charged her fist with chakra. She knew this would be the final blow as her fist punctured Kabuto's stomach, causing blood to trickle out from his mouth. Instead of the repulsive look of defeat she expected, Kabuto only smiled as life left his body.

Retracting her arm from Kabuto's corpse, Sakura began feeling light-headed as she staggered back examining her forearm. Across her skin she could see tiny puncture wounds that had already began to bleed, it was then she knew that everything was finally over. In a last ditch attempt to take her life, Kabuto had performed the Twin Snakes Mutual Death Technique. With the last of her strength, Sakura looked up to the trees and smiled, her beautiful true smile, as she met Sasuke's horrified expression. Closing her eyes and breathing on last breath, Sakura's world went black.

* * *

"Any changes?" Naruto asked as he approached Sasuke from the Konoha Hospital's lobby.

"Hn," Sasuke replied to the obvious.

It had been six weeks since Sakura had killed Kabuto. Six weeks since she had used her life to ensure his stayed safe. Six weeks since Tsunade had performed every medical measure possible to stabilize her when Sasuke had rushed her in. Her heartbeat so faint that even with his Sharingan, it was almost impossible to detect. He hated himself. He hated the fact that he had listened to her and not gotten involved in the fight. In the end, Orochimaru had indeed played on last cruel trick on Sasuke, as the love of his life fought for her own.

She had been moved from the ICU when her heartbeat had stabilized, and while Tsunade mentioned minor improvements in her health, she still remained comatose. Sasuke had stayed at the hospital nearly every night, praying that she would wake up every time he held her hand, or when a tear dripped to her face as he kissed her goodnight or even the moment he awoke from dozing off as he lay next to her on the tiny hospital bed, but all proved futile as she was still unconscious to the world.

"Sasuke, for the millionth time, there was nothing you could have done..." Naruto attempted to comfort his friend.

"I could have fought. I should have fought. She wouldn't be like this if I had done as I always have and not listened to her..." Sasuke replied through gritted teeth.

"Sure...you should have fought Sasuke, and then the moment Kabuto had come into contact with you, that twisted bastard Orochimaru would have transferred his self into you. Sakura wouldn't be in the hospital...instead she would be lying over your grave due to the fact that we would have had to kill you...no Orochimaru," Naruto shouted in agitation.

Sasuke had nothing to fight back with. He knew Naruto was right, he knew that's why she had protected him, but he still hated himself for it all. There was no amount of consoling in the world that could remove the guilt he felt. He had told himself over and over again that he would protect her, yet there she was, comatose in a hospital bed. The only upside to the entire situation is that Sakura had been pardoned for her actions, on account that she didn't actually do anything illegal other than taking a "vacation" of sorts for longer than permitted without consent from the Hokage. In addition to the fact that she had eliminated two Akatsuki members and the remains of Orochimaru helped her case. But what did any of that matter if she was not awake to hear any of it herself?

"I'm going to take Hinata home. Call me if there are any changes?" Naruto asked sympathetically.

"Ah," Sasuke replied as he entered her room, closing the door behind him.

He sat in his chair, directly beside her bed, and took her hand in his own. While she was still showing no signs of consciousness, Sasuke had to admit that her coloring had returned to normal and her heartbeat was much stronger than before. She no longer needed the oxygen machine as she could now breath on her own, but Sasuke would not rejoice in any of it until she awoke.

Leaning forward in his chair in order to lay his head on her bed, Sasuke closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

He jolted awake, repeating the same nightmare he had every night since bringing her back to Konoha. There he stood, watching her fight for her life. He couldn't move, he couldn't scream, he couldn't close his eyes, he could only watch as Kabuto killed her the same way he had every time. Just when Sasuke believed she would win, no matter how many times he dreamed the dream he still held hope, Kabuto would throw a few hand signs and Sakura would fall to the ground. Only then could he move, only then could he cradle her lifeless body and when Kabuto finally touched him, he would open his eyes to see the world in a new light. He would become Orochimaru and leave her corpse on the ground.

Tears built in his eyes, as they had every night for the past six weeks. Clutching her hand tightly between the two of his, Sasuke rested his head back on her bed, cupping his cheek in her tiny hand. Feeling more at ease, he closed his eyes. As long as she held him, even if it was his own illusion, he could day-dream of how they would be if she were awake. The tears escaped, falling onto her hand in a warm stream. His body shuddered as he attempted to control his breathing. In his own bliss he imagined her, one arm holding him, the other stroking his thick, black hair as she cradled him. He had imagined it so vividly in his mind that it began to feel real.

Sasuke shuddered as he felt a warm touch brush across his ear, smiling at how real it actually felt. Suddenly he held his breath. Opening his eyes, Sasuke was scared to look up. He knew that when he did, she would be lying there as she had the past six weeks, her eyes closed as she slept away her consciousness. He had imagined her waking so many times, each time only to be disappointed, as his heart chipped away bit by bit. He closed his eyes, deciding he couldn't take the heartbreak tonight, only to open them again when his tears were whipped from his eyes. Blinking a few times, checking to make sure his sanity was still intact, Sasuke sat back in his chair.

His black onyx eyes met with her beautiful emeralds. He again closed his eyes, shaking his head a few times to wake himself from his dream. When he opened them once again, he met the perplexed look of those same emerald eyes.

"Wake up Sasuke...you're dreaming," he said to himself aloud.

"Dreaming?" That same heavenly voice he had longed for finally asked.

Immediately standing up, he leaned over bed, cupping her face with one of his hands. He watched as her eyes flickered between the two of his, confused by his abrupt actions. He finally took a jagged inhale of oxygen, not believing what was happening in front of him. When he knew he wasn't dreaming, he threw himself on her, wrapping his arms around her waist and he cried into the thin cloth that covered her stomach.

"I thought I had lost you..." His voice barely above a whisper, "I thought I was all alone..."

Sakura was baffled by Sasuke's actions. Never in her wildest dreams would the Sasuke Uchiha she knew hug her, much less cry into her as he did so. Feeling an overwhelming sensation of comfort him, she gently wrapped an arm around him as she stroked his thick, black hair as she cradled him.

"Sasuke what's going on? Where am I?" Sakura asked as she took note of how _white _her surroundings were.

Suddenly he jolted up, "I have to get a nurse, a doctor! Just...don't close your eyes! Don't go to sleep! Just stay like this until I come back!" Sasuke yelled as he barreled out of her room, screaming for a doctor as he ran down the hallway.

Sakura was completely confused. She had no idea what was going on. She simply nodded as she watched his figure retreat from her sight.

_"I must be dead..."_ She thought shaking her head in disbelief.

* * *

"Sakura," Sasuke yelled from downstairs, "Are you ready yet? Naruto and Hinata are waiting for us..."

"Hai, hai," She replied towards the stairs.

Pulling her hair into a high ponytail, Sakura took one last glance in the mirror before descending the stairs. They had made plans to meet Naruto and Hinata at the training grounds for some extra sparring before having lunch at Ichiraku's Ramen Stand. Meeting Sasuke at the end of the stairs, she let out a brilliant smile as she took his hand. The both of them had dressed in their jonin, navy blue pants and black sleeveless shirts, Sasuke's with the Uchiha symbol, while Sakura's donned her family crest.

Once Sasuke had explained what happened after she had defeated Kabuto, it took Sakura time to adjust to the idea of moving back to Konoha. Naruto had convinced her to move into one of the many empty rooms at the Uchiha estate, and while she had protested at first, the idea of not having to be alone eventually won her over. She was also having to adjust to living life the way she had before, trying to be less aloof. It had taken time, but while living in Konoha for the past three months, she was beginning to change.

Sasuke never left her side. Resuming her place as his partner in ANBU, the two were together every minute of the day. While she had her own bedroom, there were many nights were she would be awaken by Sasuke pleading with her to "move over." The only time she was able to get any privacy was during her bath. While it annoyed her, she enjoyed it. She was never alone and the scar on her heart that he had brutally placed there all those years ago, was finally beginning to heal.

"Sakura?" Sasuke interrupted her thoughts as she realized they were almost to the training grounds.

"Hai?" She replied smoothly.

"I used to come here when you were gone," He tried to make the statement come out smugly, covering the hurt that lay underneath.

Sakura noticed they had taken the short cut through the Sakura orchard. It was Spring now, as could be dually noted by the pink petals that fluttered through the wind. This was her favorite place in all of Konoha, the one place she felt the least "unique."

Sasuke had stopped walking, his hands deep in his pockets, looking up at the trees, "Sakura, so beautiful..."

Sakura wasn't sure if he was speaking metaphorically or if he was speaking literally of how beautiful the Sakura trees were in the Spring. She simply smiled and walked as he walked towards her, removing his hands from his pockets. Taking one of Sakura's hands, Sasuke placed a small, unknown item in her palm and closed her fingers around it. Taking a deep breath, Sasuke let go of her hands and walked away from her.

Sakura stood confused at Sasuke's behavior. While she had gotten used to his surprisingly clingy behavior, she still had moments where she had no idea what was going through his head. Opening her hand, Sakura's eyes widened as they immediately shot to his back.

"It was my mother's..." He said, turning slightly to allow her a glimpse of his rare, godly smile.

"Sakura...will you love me for the rest of my life?" He asked, obviously uncomfortable with speaking aloud about the subject.

Sakura thought thoroughly before responding, "No..."

Sasuke spun on his heel, eyes confused and hurt at the simple word, while she closed the gap between them. Reaching him, she held both of his arms as she pulled herself to place a gentle kiss on his lips.

"I will love you for the rest of mine..." She replied as his eyes wondered to the ring finger of her left hand.

He smiled, pulling her into another deep kiss, as the sun reflected off of the simple gold band that she wore around her finger.

_As long as I have you...I have a place to call home._

* * *

**A/N: **Omg, omg, omg! It's literally 5:30 am right now and I have worked NONSTOP, literally all night long...and most of the day, on making this ending the best and I have finally finished it! I know I'm a couple of days late, but I worked so hard to create an ending fitting for this story. I didn't want to create this huge climax only to have it end plainly. I really hope I did you justice and that you are happy with the ending. I may revise it if I see too many people aren't happy with it! PLEASE REVIEW and let me know what you think. I would really appreciate any sort of comment so that I know all my hard work paid off!

I'm considering starting another, although I won't be able to update as quickly due to school starting soon!

Reviews make me write!

Remember to check out **Fines Apply by anonthetissues!**


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